A new Oconee County task force gets going

A meeting this morning at Pine Street established Oconee County’s Opioid Task Force, with the election of officers and explanation of the group’s major responsibility.  Dr. Aaron Zeller, Prisma Health physician, was elected chairman; Scott Krein, director of Oconee Emergency Management, elected vice-chairman.  The major responsibility of the task force will be to recommend to Oconee County Council how to disperse the county’s share in the settlement of a nationwide class-action lawsuit.  In that settlement with pharmaceutical companies, Oconee’s share is nearly $1.6 million.  The staff liaison for the task force, Zack Smith, explained parts of the monies are to be spent on county recovery from the opioid scourge.  As such, on Wednesday, December 20, a window opens for the task force to begin receiving applications from community entities that are positioned to help prevent over prescriptions and to educate Oconeeans against the misuse of the drugs.  Besides Zeller and Krein, task force members are Jon Holland, Mike Carroll, Allen Sayre, Caitlyn Pope, Lekesha Benson, and Tim Rice.