Shelton council hears proposal to pilot mobile integrated health team using opioid settlement funds

Shelton City Council members heard a presentation on a proposal to pilot a mobile integrated health program that would pair clinical staff with first responders to treat and navigate people in acute mental-health and substance-use crises, using local opioid settlement funds and a potential Association of Washington Cities (AWC) grant for start-up funding.

The proposal, presented by Dave Gardner, identified as a fire authority and emergency protection specialist, described deploying teams composed of a physician assistant (identified in the presentation as Adam) and a mental-health clinician (Chrissy Ives) to respond alongside or instead of traditional emergency medical responses. Gardner said the teams can provide on-scene assessment, start medication-assisted treatment such as Suboxone, make referrals, and connect people to ongoing care rather than defaulting to emergency-room transport.

Proponents said the model is designed for acute incidents rather than routine primary care and that multiple referral sources — including schools, law enforcement and citizens — can access the service. Gardner described early results in other jurisdictions and said the program reduced demands on emergency responders by addressing social, behavioral and substance-use needs at the scene.

City Manager Mark Sigler and speakers at the meeting discussed funding. Gardner and others said there is roughly $107,000 currently available from opioid settlement distributions for the jurisdiction and that an AWC grant (described in the discussion as a possible source of one-time funding) could provide about two years of runway if secured. Council members repeatedly raised sustainability questions: “How is this program — when we spend the $1.70 and then the 84, how do we continue this program down the road?” asked one council speaker, reflecting concern about paying ongoing operating costs after initial grants run out.

A member representing the Rotary Club spoke during public comment in support, saying, “I would do that program because it covered everything that we need that Mark pointed out.” Council discussion that followed included staff-level questions about whether the coordinator role would be a city employee or a contractor and which department would host or supervise the function; several councilmembers expressed a preference for contracting to avoid creating a new in-house position.

No formal motion or vote to create the program was recorded during the meeting. Council members and staff discussed next steps including applying for AWC funding, refining the program scope, identifying the organization that would hold the contract, and collecting data during an initial pilot period. Several councilmembers voiced support for moving the discussion forward but did not adopt a final funding or governance decision at the session.

Council members and staff emphasized the program’s scope limits and implementation needs: it is intended to stabilize acute crises on-scene and connect people to follow-up care, not to replace primary care services. Presenters said the model relies on partners across the county — fire districts, the sheriff’s office, tribal partners and regional providers — and on tracking outcomes to make the case to insurers and other funders for ongoing support.

The council asked staff to return with more detail on funding sources, the proposed coordinator role (contracted versus city employee), and a proposed operating budget and timeline. No final action was taken at the meeting.