Burke County commissioners direct staff to focus on Option A opioid strategies, approve three-year lead position and back Partners' capital plan

Burke County commissioners on Feb. 14 agreed to keep their immediate focus on Option A strategies under the state memorandum of agreement for national opioid settlements, approved funding for a dedicated settlement coordinator for three years, and gave Partners Behavioral Health direction to pursue a state capital grant to create local behavioral‑health space.

The votes at the board’s recessed meeting in Morganton were unanimous. Commissioners approved a three‑year funded coordinator position reporting to the county manager, directed staff and the new hire to prioritize the MOA’s Exhibit A (Option A) strategies, and authorized Partners to move forward with plans to use a $6.25 million LME‑MCO capital appropriation for brick‑and‑mortar behavioral‑health capacity. The board also approved applicants to a newly formed opioid advisory committee.

The decisions come as county staff and outside advisers described local data and recent programs supported by settlement and other grants. “It’s roughly 24 and a half million dollars,” County Manager Brian Eppley said in a presentation summarizing Burke County’s baseline opioid settlement allocation, noting the amount will be paid over roughly 18 years and could grow with later settlements. Nitty Sachdeva, who leads the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners’ opioid settlement technical assistance team, told commissioners the MOA creates two tracks of eligible work — Option A, an evidence‑based short list communities can start immediately, and Option B, a longer list that requires a formal collaborative planning process to “unlock.”

Why it matters: The board framed the work as long‑term infrastructure building to reduce overdoses, expand pathways to recovery and improve coordination among law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS), public health, treatment providers and community organizations. County health director Danny Scalise described casework and outreach already underway and credited local partners with harm‑reduction results: “Since working with our partners in Olive Branch, their…