LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky's Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC ) hosted a town hall in Louisville Tuesday night to discuss ideas on how to distribute nearly half a billion dollars of opioid settlement money.

The state received $478 million from a settlement between several states and opioid manufactures and distributors, including Cardinal Health, McKesson, Amerisource Bergen and Johnson & Johnson, for their roles in exacerbating the opioid crisis.

Local counties and cities will receive half of the $478 million. KYOAAC is in charge of distributing the remaining half. Payments will be spread out over 18 years. Settlement proceeds must be used for projects, programs or reimbursements that help fight the opioid crisis.

“The very point of these town halls is to go in to hear from grassroots organizations and individuals who are in the trenches so we can understand or we have to direct resources," said Bryan Hubbard, the executive director of KYOAAC. "We want to make sure that individuals and groups that are doing the work of saving lives, get what they need from us to make that happen."

Vocal Kentucky organized a rally before Tuesday's town hall. Members of the group and local lawmakers thanked the Attorney General's Office for seeking out input and discussed the hardships of addiction themselves or friends have struggled with.

During the town hall, a variety of people shared ideas on how they would like to see the money distributed. People sharing ideas included those in recovery, members of recovery service groups, and people who have lost loved ones to addiction.

"I would like you to spend a large portion of that money making sure that people who want to go to treatment in this county, can get to treatment," said one man.

Other ideas included improving trauma-based health care and better post-incarceration programs for people battling addiction.

"Addiction waits for them to get out," said one member of the public.

Other ideas included reliable transportation to treatment and recovery access in the city's west end. 

But many people at the town hall spoke in favor of awarding grants to small grassroots organizations with a proven track record of getting people into recovery.

"If you're going to receive this money, why don't you give us a roadmap and go by the guidelines of what you're going to do with it," said Pony Morris, with Vocal Kentucky.

KYOACC will host two more town halls this month. One in Bowling Green on Nov. 9 and one in Paducah on Nov. 29. 

For more information on qualifications to apply, click here.

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