State officials charged with allocating $600 million from opioid settlement lawsuits decided in its latest round of funding to focus on prevention.

At its May meeting, the Opioid Settlement Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Board approved a proposal by the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission to spend $13.7 million on increasing the number of professionals working to prevent addiction, an area considered crucial to addressing the drug crisis that’s fueled fatal overdoses from fentanyl.