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Board approves plan to spend opioid settlement funds on treatment beds, prevention and harm reduction
Summary
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 11 authorized staff to begin a competitive process to allocate $12.7 million in opioid-settlement funds (with $3.5 million expected next year) to expand treatment beds, recovery housing, youth prevention and harm-reduction services.
What the board approved: The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 11 directed staff to begin a competitive process (NOFA/RFA) to distribute $12.7 million in currently available opioid-settlement funds and to reserve an additional $3.5 million expected over the next fiscal year, for a discussion total of $16.2 million.
Key recommended uses:
- B-CHIP match: Staff recommended setting aside up to $3.8 million as a cash match if the county is awarded a $67.7 million Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP/B-CHIP) grant to develop a campus that would include a co-located 40-bed residential substance-use-disorder (SUD) facility and 64 short-term subacute beds for clients conserved under the LPS process. The grant requires a 10% match; the in-kind property match was valued in staff materials at $3.0 million.
- Community NOFA/RFA: Staff proposed a broad, competitive NOFA (and parallel RFA for some service types) to allocate the remaining $11.6 million to expand outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment, recovery residences (targeting at least 60 recovery residence beds), youth prevention programs and harm-reduction services including syringe access and expanded Narcan/fentanyl-strip education.
Why the board took the step: County health staff said the local overdose problem is driven largely by fentanyl and is unevenly distributed: per-capita overdose death rates are highest in the Russian River area, while Santa Rosa has the greatest absolute volume of overdoses. Health staff highlighted higher overdose rates among multiracial and Black residents and called for equity-driven investments in outreach and treatment.
Numbers and timing noted at the meeting:
- Available opioid-settlement fund balance now: $12,700,000
- Additional expected receipts through the next fiscal year: $3,500,000
- Total under discussion: $16,200,000
- B-CHIP grant request: $67,700,000 with a 10% match; county in-kind property value $3,000,000; staff asked to hold $3,800,000 cash for the possible match if the grant is awarded (decision expected in May).
Implementation and next steps: Staff will issue a NOFA/RFA to solicit proposals and will return to the board with recommendations after review. Staff said they would aim to publish the NOFA as quickly as practical; materials noted April as an aspirational target but said the NOFA might be published in summer. Several supervisors urged staff to accelerate the timeline. The NOFA would allow funding for capital projects (including construction) and service expansion; awards will return to the board for final approval.
Board vote and comment: The board voted to approve staff's three recommended actions unanimously. Supervisors and community speakers emphasized the urgency of adding beds, improving care pathways and prioritizing populations with the greatest overdose inequities.
Selected quotes:
- "I'm really excited to move this forward," said a board member after the vote.
- "It's fentanyl, it's fentanyl," Health Services staff told the board when summarizing the major driver of recent overdose deaths.
Ending: The board authorized a competitive process and set aside funds for a possible B-CHIP match. Staff will publish a NOFA/RFA, review proposals and return with award recommendations; they will report back as further settlement receipts arrive.
