Four Local Programs In County’s Plans For Opioid Settlement Fund Distribution
Kosciusko County Council Member Sue Ann Mitchell (L) and County Council Vice-President Kathy Groninger (R) listen to Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory EMS Chief Chris Fancil speak about Wayne Township’s C.A.R.E.S. program at a Feb. 23 county opioid committee meeting. InkFreeNews photo by Liz Shepherd.
By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Monies from the first payout of a national opioid settlement are currently set to be split among four Kosciusko County entities who work closely with individuals struggling with substance abuse.
The Kosciusko County Opioid Committee met on Thursday, Feb. 23, to discuss splitting the payout and applying for more funds through an Indiana State Matching Grant Request for Funding. The RFF must be submitted to the state’s Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Mental Health and Addiction by 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28.
According to the RFF, “as part of the National Opioid Settlement, the Division of Mental Health and Addiction is making available a one-time funding opportunity to local units of government to support evidence-based prevention, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, behavioral health workforce, enforcement, jail treatment, recovery residences, and other services and initiatives across the state.”
If Kosciusko County receives the grant, it will have around $530,000 in funds to use toward the prevention of local drug abuse. The county received $266,561.25 as its first payout from the $26 billion national settlement with AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson, the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors; and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and marketed opioids.
The current proposal is to split the monies as follows if the county receives the RFF on top of the funds it has already received from the payout: $45,000 toward the county’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative program; $45,000 toward the Kosciusko County Jail and the Jail Chemical Addiction Program for additional counseling services; $240,000 toward possibly making Wayne Township’s C.A.R.E.S. program county-wide; and $200,000 to Fellowship Missions for additional facility space for counseling services.
Kosciusko County Council Vice-President Kathy Groninger and Council Member Sue Ann Mitchell led the Feb. 23 meeting and asked those in attendance for further input on how monies should be distributed. Lisa Harman, Live Well Kosciusko president and CEO; and Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory C.A.R.E.S. Team Members Chris Fancil and Mikaela Bixler were present.
The idea of creating a county-wide C.A.R.E.S. program was heavily discussed, with both Groninger and Mitchell acknowledging the need for the program’s expansion. Fancil said WWFT has received C.A.R.E.S. calls from outside of the township, including areas like Claypool and Syracuse. He estimated the cost to hire a C.A.R.E.S. staffer is around $70,000, with that amount also involving employee benefits and vehicle usage. The $240k in the county’s plan would be used for three staffers.
Mitchell said she would discuss JDAI’s programming needs with JDAI Co-Coordinators Kara Shively and Dana Bailey. She will also work on documents that need submitted for the RFF over the weekend, which include a cover letter, budget template, letters of collaboration, and information on organizations/agencies; diversity and historically underserved populations; current/past program experiences; program narrative; and program sustainability.
The committee will meet at 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, before the application is presented at the county commissioners Feb. 28 meeting for approval. If approved, the application will then be submitted to the state.
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