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Commissioner Brown - DHHS - Community Support Services - To Appropriate and Approve a Resolution to Direct the Expenditure of Opioid Settlement Funds and Appropriate to Expanded Medication Assisted Treatment Services (MAT) (Year 1: $125,533.42/Total Project: $376,600.26)
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STAFF CONTACT
Gregory Grier - Community Support Services - 704-862-6735
BUDGET IMPACT
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Increase revenue and expenses in the Opioid Settlement Fund. No additional County funds.
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BUDGET ORDINANCE IMPACT
N/A
BACKGROUND
The State of NC joined in the national litigation against pharmaceutical supply chain participants who engaged in the manufacture, marketing, promotion, distribution, or dispensing of opioid medications that has harmed the public. On June 8, 2021 the Board of Commissioners approved the Memorandum of Agreement Between the State of North Carolina and Local Governments on Proceeds Relating to the Settlement of Opioid Litigation (Res 2021-172) joining in the national litigation. Gaston County will receive a projected $43,000,000 in settlement funds to be received over a period of 18 years. To date, the County has received $ 4,250,134 in settlement funds. To date, $2,778,431 has been allocated by the Board of Commissioners.
A Request for Proposals for evidence-based addiction treatment programs and services to address the opioid epidemic in our community was issued and posted from September 1, 2023 until October 1, 2023. Four proposals were received. Each proposal was reviewed and scored by a subcommittee of the Gaston County Opioid Settlement Team. Two of the four proposals were recommended for funding. The proposal submitted by Kintegra Health is one of the two recommended proposals.
This Board Action, if approved, appropriates $376,600.26 in Opioid Settlement funds for Kintegra Health to hire staff members and cover the cost of medications and required labs to support the growth of the existing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program. Staff hired will include a part-time nurse practitioner, a full-time behavioral health provider, and a part-time MAT medical assistant. The nurse practitioner will provide ongoing medical care and medication services to individuals receiving MAT. The hire of this medical provider will support expanding MAT to 50 new uninsured and underinsured Gaston County residents. The behavioral health provider will provide substance use counseling services and expansion of telehealth services; along with Kintegra Health’s existing workforce in the county, this provider will ensure individuals needing mental health or substance use treatment can have same-day, convenient, and affordable access (either virtually or face to face) to behavioral health consultation and intervention services. These added behavioral health services would allow for 50 new uninsured patients to receive MAT services through Kintegra Health over the next 18 months.
Year 1 (January 1, 2024 - June 30, 2024): $125,533.42
Year 2 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025): $251,066.84
POLICY IMPACT
N/A
ATTACHMENTS
Spending Authorization Resolution; Budget Change Request (BCR)