Flathead County signs naloxone distribution, opioid-education agreement with state contractor

Flathead County commissioners on March 27 approved a provider agreement with the Montana Public Health Institute to fund regional opioid-education and naloxone-distribution work through the county health department.

The agreement will fund two phases, Flathead County Health Department manager Mandy Fleming said: training two staff members as navigators who will “play a key role in bridging the gap between harm reduction” and treatment, and conducting a survey of harm-reduction participants to identify barriers to accessing care. Fleming said the county will share survey results with the commissioners when they are available.

Fleming told the board the agreement’s funding does not come from the opioid settlement; instead the contract is administered through Montana Department of Health and Human Services and provided by the Montana Public Health Institute. Commissioners moved and seconded approval; the motion carried unanimously.

The contract is intended to expand outreach and care navigation to connect people with detox, treatment programs and mental-health services. Fleming said the navigators will provide education on available resources and guide participants through the process of accessing care.

The agreement was approved by formal motion at the meeting; the board did not attach additional conditions to the signature. The health department will report back to commissioners with survey findings and program metrics as the work proceeds.