Carroll County approves $55,280 for oversight of substance use recovery services; Mountain Manor officials describe triage bed program

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 16 approved $55,280 in spending authority to fund program oversight and monitoring of the county’s Substance Use Recovery Treatment Services program.

County staff described the request as payment for administrative fees and monitoring performed by the Carroll County Health Department under a memorandum of agreement signed in September 2024. Lauren McCarthy, executive director of Mountain Manor (also referred to in testimony as Maryland Treatment Centers), and health department staff described the services provided at Mountain Manor Sykesville, including 24/7 triage beds intended to stabilize people in crisis and link them to further treatment.

Why it matters: Commissioners and county staff said the triage beds reduce strain on emergency departments, provide a rapid alternative after overdose or crisis, and create a clearer pathway into longer-term treatment. County funding will not operate the beds directly; the approved funds are for county oversight and contract monitoring by the health department.

Mountain Manor overview and triage program

Lauren McCarthy, executive director of Mountain Manor, told the commissioners the Sykesville campus contains multiple programs in one building: withdrawal management (detox), longer-term residential treatment and a six-bed triage unit. "Our triage beds are very important and critical to the work we do," McCarthy said. She described the triage unit as a 24/7 access point intended to "stabilize and connect individuals to the next appropriate level of care" and noted that…