Leonardtown, MD — The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County have approved a funding plan for a $100,000 grant to the health department for substance abuse prevention and control. This is the second year that the health department has received the supplemental funding and partnered with other agencies for programs using the monies. The previous commissioner board initiated the funding after a well-attended parents forum at the Hollywood firehouse on the heroin epidemic. The new commissioner board budgeted the monies for a second year.
St. Mary’s County Health Officer Dr. Meenakshi Brewster, Superintendent of Schools Scott Smith and St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division Commander Captain Michael Merican presented the plan at the commissioners’ Sept. 15 meeting.
As did the previous board, the commissioners reserved for themselves the authority to approve a plan for the spending of the monies. The plan calls for the following funding:
• $15,000 to the St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) to support health communication and education efforts targeted at youth and parents.
• $20,000 to SMCPS via a MOU with SMCHD to provide navigation support to youth and families for a better linkage between the school system and community services for substance misuse prevention and treatment.
• $33,000 to St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office (SMCSO) via a MOU with the SMCHD to engage in Correctional Level 2.1 Intensive Outpatient Services for female inmates at the St. Mary’s County Detention Center.
• $7,000 to the SMCHD to implement video-based training on topics of risks associated with opiod use, overdose recognition and response, naloxone administration, SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) and other substance abuse issues for partner organizations, health care providers and community members.
• $25,000 to SMCSO via a MOU with SMCHD to launch a Day Reporting Pilot Program in Lexington Park including the start-up costs for space, materials, and case management.
The commissioners approved the plan on a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner John O’Connor [R – 3rd] dissenting. O’Connor (shown at left above) insisted he had no problems with the proposed plan but he felt if the items were deemed worthwhile they should have been included in each agency’s budget instead.
Commissioner Tom Jarboe [R – 1st] observed that if the programs work they could be incorporated in those agency’s budgets next year. However, he noted that the grants were intended to be one-time only for each project for non-recurring costs.
Commissioner Todd Morgan [R – 4th] said he was not the expert in the field of substance abuse prevention and treatment and he had confidence in each agency that they knew what they were doing.
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com