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Board approves use of opioid settlement funds for competitive RFP to expand treatment and harm‑reduction services
Summary
The board approved a plan to use opioid settlement funds to issue competitive RFPs for substance use disorder services, including medication‑assisted treatment and harm reduction, after a steering committee recommended funding community providers rather than expanding in‑house programming.
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners on March 5 approved a resolution to allocate opioid settlement funds through a competitive request‑for‑proposal process to expand substance use disorder services and harm reduction in the community.
County staff said a steering committee and a needs assessment produced with Michigan State’s assistance recommended funding existing community providers for services such as medication‑assisted treatment, syringe services and wraparound supports rather than channeling the bulk of funds into additional in‑house programs. The board’s resolution directs the health department to issue RFPs and retain some settlement funds for county planning, monitoring and contract oversight.
Why it matters: the opioid settlement dollars are a time‑limited, county‑level funding source intended to expand capacity for treatment and harm reduction. County staff and commissioners emphasized using evidence from the needs assessment to target the RFP and asked that community mental health and other potential county applicants be eligible to compete.
What comes next: county staff will publish RFPs for the services recommended by the steering committee, evaluate proposals and return to the board with awards and recommended contracts. The resolution passed by voice vote.
