The Monroe County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved an amendment to the county’s harm reduction grant that extends existing funds to cover the salary of the county’s harm reduction specialist through the fall.

County public health staff said the Indiana Department of Health has delayed issuance of a new notice of award, and the extension will allow the county to continue paying the position while the state processes the next contract cycle.

Miss Kelly, a representative of the Monroe County Health Department, told commissioners that “the Indiana Department of Health has not received their notice of award for our next grant cycle. So they are extending the current contract... This will last us until around November of this year, covering salary expenses for this position.”

Commissioners voted to approve the grant amendment. The motion to approve was adopted unanimously, recorded as a 3-0 vote.

The grant is tracked in county fund 8153 and, according to Kelly, will continue to fund salary expenses for the harm reduction specialist during the extension period. Kelly also reiterated available public-health services and vaccine availability elsewhere in her department update.

No public comment was received on the item. Commissioners offered brief thanks for the service the program provides but did not add conditions to the vote.

The amendment does not change the county’s stated plan for the position beyond preserving salary funding through the extension period; further action will depend on the state’s issuance of a new notice of award.