The Kane County Public Health Committee on Aug. 20 voted to authorize contracts for community organizations to carry out opioid-response implementation projects funded through a state grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services. Executive Director Michael Isaac described the effort as part of the county's work to reduce overdoses and said the county issued a competitive request for applications.

"This is part of our ongoing effort to work with community partners to reduce overdoses," Isaac said during the meeting. He named the organizations selected through the competitive process as the Eker Center, Association for Individual Development, Gateway Foundation, Lighthouse Recovery, Greater Family Health, Serenity House Counseling and the Kane County Sheriff's Office. Isaac said the county will enter into contracts with those organizations and noted that the sheriff's portion will require a line-item transfer because it is handled within county finance differently.

A roll-call vote followed committee discussion; recorded votes in the transcript were in favor (Tarver: yes; Sanchez: yes; Stratman: yes; Roth: yes). The resolution passed.

Isaac said this particular set of grants is funded through the state rather than by opioid-settlement proceeds. Separately, he described the county's opioid-settlement fund (proceeds from settlements with manufacturers and pharmacies) as a distinct revenue stream governed by a five-member allocation panel that includes the public-health director, the committee chair, the sheriff, the coroner and the state's attorney.

No dollar amount for the specific contracts was stated on the record during the Aug. 20 discussion; Isaac said details and line-item transfers for the sheriff's portion would be completed before going to the county finance office.