District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan recently announced a scholarship program through Lehigh Carbon Community College to provide educational resources and training for county residents effected by opioid use.

The Lehigh County District Attorney Career Pathway Scholarship Program will provide funding for a scholarship program through the Lehigh Carbon Community College Foundation.

The program was approved March 11 by the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners.

The pilot scholarship program is not funded with taxpayer dollars, but the foundation will receive up to $150,000 from the Lehigh County District Attorney Office’s opioid settlement fund.

The opioid settlement fund comes after a series of lawsuits filed against opioid manufacturers and distributors in wake of the opioid epidemic.

For the next 15 years, the district attorney’s office will be one of the recipients of those funds to help compensate government entities and create drug treatment outreach efforts.

Opioid settlement funds are designed for programs that abate, treat and prevent opioid misuse and addiction only.

The scholarship program will be used to provide education and training through Lehigh Carbon Community College for those who experienced personal hardships and/or incarceration resulting from opioid use and who are seeking to find employment and further their education.

Those accepted into the program can use those funds to help get training for meaningful employment.

Available programs include workforce opportunities in certificate programs as well as full credit education courses.

Referrals to the scholarship will be made through several community partners including Treatment Trends, Lehigh Valley Intake Unit and Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley.