At their regular meeting last week, the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners discussed the county’s participation in the national opioid settlement. County Commissioner Joe Bonovetz said the county could receive funds from settlements through cases involving pharmaceutical companies that handle the distribution of opioids that have been settled out of court. The board voted to authorize the Gogebic County administrator to pursue funding through those settlements. Since 2000, opioid overdose deaths have grown ten-fold in the state. The epidemic impacts thousands of Michiganders and their families, friends, and communities.