Lauren Kean, a Blackhawk County public health staff member, told the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12 that an action-plan subcommittee updated a gap analysis of local opioid prevention, treatment and recovery services and was recommending a transparent funding process for county opioid settlement dollars. The board voted to form a four-person committee to draft that application and timeline.

Kean said the subcommittee reviewed federally and state-funded programs, local contracts and recent state actions and updated priorities first presented in March. “Some of the gap analysis would need to be revisited due to a few things that were in the works,” Kean said, citing behavioral health realignment and state funding changes that took effect July 1.

The gap analysis identified prevention, treatment and recovery priorities and recommended funding guidelines aligned with the settlement’s allowable uses. Kean told the board the subcommittee’s priorities include: expanding post-overdose response and diversion programs that connect people to behavioral health services; funding evidence-based treatment and recovery supports, including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for people in and leaving the criminal-justice system; and bolstering wraparound recovery services such as housing and transportation.

Vicky Miller, executive director of Pathways Behavioral Health, joined Kean at the table and described how some existing local services are changing. Kean and Miller said a county-funded school prevention program (the County Substance Abuse Project) was not reprocured under the state’s new administrative-service-organization structure and is therefore currently unfunded. Kean also said One City United’s settlement funds were already fully expended as of January 2025, and a county contract that funds jail-based behavioral-health services is scheduled to end next month.

Michelle, the county finance director, reviewed settlement-account figures and projected future receipts. She reported a June 2024 cash balance of about $1.1 million, FY25 receipts of roughly $329,000 and future estimated payments of about $3.8 million under the current settlement payment schedules. She also described a recent state legislative appropriation (House File 1038) that directed $29 million to Iowa HHS for opioid-related programs and summarized state allocations that could affect local services, including funds for peer services, recovery centers and recovery housing.

Board members discussed whether to front-load spending or spread allocations across many years. Kean said consistent funding and predictable cycles would help applicants plan, and committee members should include health department staff and county finance representation so the application can require budgets, measurable objectives and sustainability plans.

The board approved formation of a committee of four people — Caitlin (Public Health Director), Tiger Park (Deputy Director, Public Health), Colleen (county staff working on vulnerable populations) and Michelle (Finance Director) — to develop the application and bring recommendations about process and timelines back to the board. The group agreed to aim for draft application guidance in early September and to return with a timeline update for short-term amendments to existing providers by the next meeting. The board also asked staff to explore short-term contract amendments so currently funded services, especially jail-based services, do not lapse before the new application cycle is in place.

Why it matters: Blackhawk County receives recurring opioid-settlement payments that must be spent on prevention, treatment, and recovery activities listed in the settlement. The committee will determine how county dollars are allocated, set scoring criteria, and decide whether to prioritize front-loaded investments or sustained annual awards.

What’s next: The committee will meet and return with an application timeline and recommended evaluation criteria; county staff will also propose short-term amendments to existing contracts to bridge funding gaps until the application process is launched.