WZZM ABC News Grand Rapids 📹 (17 April 2024)
People deserve to know how this money will be spent to save lives and make our community safe for everyone.
How Kent County is spending its first $1.6 million and why experts want more transparency
Important local reporting about transparency issues with the opioid settlement money.
NOTE: Needs assessments should be done before spending decisions.
Public health officials should advocate for public health approaches.
The ask for funding harm reduction supplies was trivial and based on evidence that these approaches will reduce morbidity and mortality.
We can't have these funding decisions made through backroom deals.
We're busy pushing back, but it is running into a lot of resistance.
We could have just had transparency from the start and not wasted all this time/energy building a system that can be accountable to the public.
Sigh.
Open requests for grants, meetings, and voting are first steps. We have time.
