Derek Williams, warden of the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility, told the committee that intake urine drug screens show high levels of polysubstance use and fentanyl among people booked into custody, and described how the county is using opioid settlement funds to expand in‑custody treatment and reentry supports.

Williams said Santa Fe County screened 8,532 people in one quarter and that 87% of those tested positive for at least one drug; 67% tested positive for two or more substances and 48% of positives included fentanyl. "That really tells us something that we already know," Williams told the committee, summarizing the county’s intake testing data.

The county has used settlement proceeds and other grants to fund a licensed five‑week Matrix sobriety program, jail-based medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) with a dedicated licensed nurse practitioner, reentry specialists in each housing unit, peer support workers provided through Presbyterian Medical Services, reentry fairs that connect graduates to community partners while they are still in custody, recovery housing contracts (RISE House) and workforce partnerships (Innovate and Educate). Williams said 63% of inmates who complete the Matrix program have not returned to custody based on the county’s tracking data.

Rebecca Granger, the county’s nurse practitioner, described early experience with long‑acting injectable buprenorphine (Sublocade) and said the county is participating in a corrections sample program to support continuity and the high medication cost. "The medication is fairly new, and we are participating in a corrections sample program," Granger said, adding that the injection costs about $2,000 per dose and that continuation after release is a priority.

Anne Ryan, Santa Fe County community services director, said county planning and regional collaboration have included SIMS mapping and participation in behavioral health regional planning under the state bills referenced by legislators. Williams described planned expansion of reentry facilities and a dedicated wing to support transitions similar to Bernalillo County’s reentry center.

Why it matters: the county’s data and program descriptions show how local officials are directing settlement and grant dollars into jail‑based treatment, peer support, reentry housing and employment pathways. Legislators pressed the county on eligibility, use of funds after release, and how settlement monies relate to broader workforce and behavioral‑health initiatives.

County staff said the opioid settlement funds the county receives have been applied primarily to in‑custody treatment and reentry programming, but reentry teams also work to connect people to external education, employment and social services that are funded from other local, state or private sources.