Gilly's House Co-Founder Works with WCVB to Highlight Slow Roll of Opioid Settlement Spending.

Barbara Gillmeister, is cofounder of Gilly's House, a sober home for men that offers the opportunity for social, educational and vocational growth. and a daily structured schedule to reinforces a lifestyle free of alcohol and drug use. Gillmeister is also the mother of Steven "Gilly" Gillmeister, who passed away from a heroin overdose on October 24, 2016 at the age of 25, and for whom Gilly's House is named.

She recently worked alongside Mike Beaudet of WCVB Channel 5 Investigates and his Investigative Reporting students at Northeastern University to examine an important question:

What has happened to the Massachusetts opioid settlement funds?

The investigation uncovered that while every city and town in Massachusetts has received opioid settlement funding over the past three years—and will continue receiving these funds for the next 12 years (15 years in total)—many communities have yet to put these dollars to work helping those impacted by addiction and recovery.

These funds were intended to support prevention, treatment, recovery, education, and services for individuals and families affected by the opioid epidemic. Yet, in many communities, the money simply remains untouched or used inappropriately.

Money sitting in a bank account does not save lives -- is the thrust of the report.

Fortunately, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Opioid Settlement Funds Dashboard, both Medway and Franklin have been steadily spending their allotments, often on first responder needs or in support of treatment and prevention programs such as those offered at Gilly's House or through the SAFE Coalition. But millions of dollars statewide remain unallocated.