ON-AIR SEGMENT: Anna Platz talks ‘Future Stories Fund’ as second round of awards are expected to be revealed soon

LOWVILLE- On Thursday, October 23, 2025, Director of Lewis County Community Services, Anna Platz, joined North Country News for another on-air segment focusing on the Future Stories Fund, which aims to invest in the health and well-being of Lewis County residents in combating the ongoing opioid epidemic.

According to committee officials, for too many years, too many community members have died from drug overdoses and poisonings, those who need help often can’t get it, and the well-being of future generations is under threat. 

In 2018, Lewis County, New York filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies and drug distributors over their aggressive and fraudulent marketing of prescription opioid painkillers that fueled a drug overdose epidemic in the county and throughout the nation.

Lewis County received approximately $300,000 in “accelerated” payments from both Federal lawsuits and State Abatement (OASAS) funds, with an anticipated annual allocation of $55,000 for approximately 16 years.

Lewis County Community Services will work with OASAS, the federal government and pharmaceutical companies to (as it stands) provide $55,000 worth of grants on an annual basis.

The 2025 recipients will soon be revealed to the public. In the meantime, check out the Future Stories Fund webpage for more details. 

Be sure to listen to our latest on-air segment with Anna Platz:

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