Pat George of Dodge city, a former state representative and commerce secretary will chair the new Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Review Board. The initial organizational meeting on July 14 will begin the process for the distribution of funds to combat opioid and other addictions in Kansas.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt appointed George, who previously served as president and CEO of Valley Hope, an addiction treatment organization based in Norton. Under the Kansas Fights Addition Act, proposed by Schmidt and enacted last year by the Legislature, money recovered by the attorney general pursuant to opioid litigation will be used to address substance abuse throughout the state. Schmidt’s office has negotiated settlements resulting in nearly $200 million related to unlawful opioid manufacturing and distribution. Under provisions of the Act, a portion of the settlements will be distributed directly to the local Kansas jurisdictions, with the remaining funds to be handed out by the grant review board.