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Boyle County health director updates court on harm reduction, naloxone distribution and retirement liability
Summary
Health department reported steady tax rate, continued distribution of Narcan and test strips to address fentanyl and xylazine, and a long-term Kentucky Retirement liability; court acknowledged the report.
Brent Levins, Boyle County public health director, told the fiscal court Wednesday that the health department’s tax rate will remain unchanged and reviewed the department’s harm-reduction work, ongoing retirement liability and other public-health programs.
Levins said the county’s tax rate will remain at the current level and said the health department continues to track about 204 reportable diseases on its surveillance list. He described harm-reduction efforts aimed at mitigating overdoses and related harms from fentanyl and xylazine, and he said the department distributes test strips to people who use drugs so they can check for dangerous adulterants.
“Our goal is that if someone is going to use, we would rather they test than show up at our door with xylazine literally with their skin coming off,” Levins said, describing severe tissue damage associated with xylazine exposure.
Levins said naloxone distribution has expanded but that doses now often require multiple administrations during an overdose. He said Narcan (naloxone) used to work in one dose more often, but now “it’s not uncommon you get three, four, five doses” to stabilize a person until emergency medical services arrive. He estimated the county’s current out‑of‑pocket cost around $39 per dose and noted Boyle County receives many Narcan doses through a University of Kentucky program that reduces local cost; if that program ended, the county would rely more on local funding.
On homelessness and COVID-era hotel assistance, Levins said the county spent roughly $70,000 over two years providing short-term rooms for people who tested positive for COVID; the program is finished and its federal funding has been spent. The state has temporarily included roughly $77,000 in the health department budget for COVID-related items, Levins said, but he added he does not expect that funding to remain after early July.
Levins also briefed the court on the department’s pension liability to the Kentucky Retirement System, which he said currently sits at about $4.5 million and will continue for about 27–28 years. He said the department holds surplus funds to prepare for future retiree obligations.
The court accepted the health department update; no vote was required.
