Dougherty Commission approves spending settlement funds for opioid response kits, drug counseling
“We’re looking forward to putting this funding to use. This could potentially be a lifesaver having this in the hands of first-responser units.”
ALBANY – The Dougherty County Commission is using its first expenditures from opioid settlement funds to supply opioid response kits for first responders and an addiction counselor/case manager for the county jail.
Municipalities and counties across the country were parties to the various settlements totaling more than $50 billion made with manufacturers, retailers and distributors of medications containing opioids.
The county’s share of the total that had been paid to date stood at about $433,000 prior to the approval.
The cost of the opioid response kits, which consist of Narcan and automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and the jail staff would total $343,883. That is broken down at $210,696 for the response kits and $133,187 for two counselors at the jail.
“We’re looking forward to putting this funding to use,” Assistant County Manager Barry Brooks told an Albany Herald reporter after the meeting. “This could potentially be a life-saver, having this in the hands of first-responder units.”
The AEDs will be compatible with units used by Dougherty County Emergency Medical Services. The opioid response kits will be available at the jail and in the cars of deputies, who will be available to respond to emergencies while out on the road.
“We’ll be providing training to first responders (deputies),” Brooks said.
The sheriff’s office, EMS and Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Development Services made the recommendation to provide the jail counselor and case manager/forensic peer specialist as well as the opioid response kits.
The counselor and case manager will provide substance use disorder services at the jail and provide services to help inmates integrate back into the community. The expenditure represents a one-time request.
An Aspire representative at Monday’s meeting told commissioners that the agency would work to secure grant funding in future years to pay for those services. The county anticipates receiving up to an additional $70,000 to $100,000 through the opioid settlements, Brooks said.
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