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Judge proposes regional behavioral-health docket for opioid abatement funding; board signals support
Summary
Judge Julius Sickle described a plan for a Northern Neck behavioral-health specialty docket that would use opioid abatement funds for a case manager and related services; the board expressed broad support and directed staff to partner on grant planning.
Judge Julius Sickle, a general district court judge, told the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors that the county could apply a portion of its opioid settlement distributions to a regional behavioral-health docket serving misdemeanor defendants with severe mental-health or substance-use drivers of criminal behavior.
Sickle described the docket as a court-supervised program that would divert eligible participants from ordinary adjudication into an 11-month supervised treatment and monitoring program. That model would place a trained case manager as the program administrator, provide weekly court appearances, medication-assisted treatment oversight and team-based wraparound services, he said.
"The behavioral health docket will apply to individuals who are charged with misdemeanor offenses who are affected by severe mental health issues, and that that mental health issue is a driving force behind the criminal behavior," Sickle said. He asked the board to consider contributing local opioid abatement allocations toward a shared staff cost and operational expenses for the docket.
Sickle said the model was tested in neighboring jurisdictions and that Gloucester County officials had advised Westmoreland on program design. He proposed a staffing model with a single case-manager/administrator position and estimated Westmoreland's annual contribution at about $20,000 if four counties join the cooperative program.
Sickle outlined several other allowable categories for opioid abatement funds, including Narcan kit distribution, youth prevention programs, public education materials, and cooperative regional grants. He noted the state Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) deadline: proposed requests to OAA should be submitted for review by March 10 to meet application and compliance timelines.
Board members reacted favorably in discussion. Supervisor McCormick said he supported the program as an investment. Several supervisors said they would be willing to consider funding and asked staff to work with the county attorney and neighboring jurisdictions on final project plans and budgets.
County staff and Sickle said next steps include public engagement, project planning and formal grant requests to the OAA; Sickle asked for members' comments and identified a contact in Gloucester County who had previously implemented a similar program.
Ending: The board did not vote on funding at the meeting but signaled informal support and an expectation that staff will prepare grant applications and budgets for later board consideration.
