ATLANTA — Georgia will be using majority of its $13 million from a multi-state opioid settlement to expand treatment programs and opioid detox services.

Gov. Brian P. Kemp announced the receipt of the funds Thursday from the 47-state February 2021 settlement against McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm that represents major opioid companies.

The $573 million multi-state settlement accused the company of promoting and profiting from the opioid epidemic despite knowing the dangers of the Schedule II and III drugs, such as OxyContin and other addictive prescription drugs.

“The opioid crisis has affected — either directly or indirectly — almost every Georgia family,” Kemp said. “We appreciate the Office of the Attorney General for working to represent the interests of Georgians throughout this litigation, and we look forward to ensuring these funds are leveraged to help us combat the scourge of opioid misuse in our state.”

The CDC reported more than 1,400 overdose deaths in Georgia in 2019.

The funds will be used to expand Medication Assisted Treatment availability, increase detoxification service capacity, promote stigma reduction, increase access to naloxone for emergency service providers and expand training on naloxone to community providers.

“We are using all tools at our disposal to protect Georgians and to help our state heal from the devastating effects of the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “This includes holding accountable those who have contributed to this epidemic and securing much-needed resources for victims, families and communities already struggling with addiction. With the alarming increase in opioid overdose throughout the pandemic, these funds will make an immediate impact by allowing our public health agencies to connect even more Georgians with support services to recover and rebuild their lives.”

Of the $13 million, $4.75 million will be set aside to expand medication assisted treatment programs, which Kemp explained uses FDA-approved medications — in combination with counseling, behavioral therapies and social support — to treat substance and opioid use disorders.

Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities currently contracts with 24 MAT providers and funding would also be used to expand to providers not currently contracted with the state.

More than $3 million is planned to be used for the state to expand contracts for detoxification beds with multiple existing detoxification service providers and to invest in system capacity across the state.

“This increase in bed capacity will reduce the number of individuals waiting for treatment and increases those individuals’ chances of successful recovery,” a release from the governor’s office states.

Just over $2 million will be used for a two-year pilot statewide stigma reduction and opioid awareness campaign, and another $2 million will be used to purchase and distribute 326,000 naloxone kits — used to reverse overdoses — to EMS providers throughout the state.

The state also plans to use $1 million to provide more trainings on naloxone

“DBHDD will utilize this investment to focus on educating providers on addiction as a brain disease, creating and sustaining cultures of recovery and naloxone administration. Additionally, training will focus on bringing providers from all levels of the substance use treatment continuum of care to improve linkages in service and cooperation between providers,” the news release states.

Last month, Carr also announced that Georgia was joining a proposed $26 billion multi-state agreement with pharmaceutical distributors Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen; and opioid manufacturer and marketer Johnson & Johnson.

Georgia and its local governments could receive an estimated $636 million under that settlement, though final amounts will be determined on the total number of states that agree to the settlement.

Only a handful of states, including Alabama, have not agreed to that settlement.