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Henry County commissioners approve $53,000 package for opioid treatment, harm reduction and crisis training
Summary
At a Wednesday commissioners meeting, the board approved $53,000 in opioid-related funding for workbooks and materials for the JRAP program, harm-reduction kits and Narcan boxes, a crisis-intervention training series, and support funds for monthly Vivitrol injections for people leaving jail.
Henry County commissioners on Wednesday approved $53,000 in county opioid-response funding after a presentation by a health department staff member describing four requests from local treatment and harm-reduction programs.
The funding package, approved by voice vote 3-0, bundled four items: $5,000 for JRAP (textbooks and participant workbooks), about $4,000 for harm-reduction outreach kits and branded materials, roughly $4,000 for three public Narcan boxes to increase countywide coverage, and training and medication-support items that together brought the total to $53,000.
The health department presenter said the Narcan boxes are intended to fill geographic gaps in the southern corridor of the county and identified placement sites including a truck stop on Wilbur Wright Road near Interstate 70, a truck stop in Knightstown on I-70, and the Moreland/Blountsville area. She described the harm-reduction kit request as primarily for small items (pencil boxes, drawstring backpacks and branded stickers) to distribute at outreach events.
On training, the presenter described a crisis-intervention team curriculum built with local partners and NAMI guidance to teach officers how to respond to mental-health crises without arrest. She said one weeklong (40-hour) course was quoted at about $12,000 for venue, AV and catering; the request covers running two such courses in 2025 for law enforcement and first responders (total about $24,000). The presenter said agencies have asked for the training and that initial seat demand is strong.
The package also included funding to support ongoing use of Vivitrol, a monthly extended-release injection that the presenter said is being used in local drug court and probation settings. She described how the county and local providers coordinate to deliver an initial dose to people while incarcerated and then help them secure insurance or other payment for follow-up doses; the county funding request was described as a small set-aside to cover clients who would otherwise fall through administrative gaps while insurance coverage is reinstated. The presenter said the shot cost is $1,738 per dose and that program staff will exhaust insurance and billing options before using county funds.
After questions about liability and program oversight, a commissioner moved to approve the package, another commissioner seconded and the motion passed 3-0.
The commissioners’ vote funds the projects as requested; the meeting record shows no additional conditions attached to the approval. The presenter said staff will follow required procurement and reporting procedures and will return to the board if any item becomes time-sensitive.
