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Rogers County officials detail opioid-abatement spending, prevention and recovery programs
Summary
County staff described an $18,000 youth prevention allocation, ongoing recovery housing needs and programs funded through opioid-abatement dollars; a new funding round is expected in March.
Rogers County officials on Jan. 27 updated the Board of County Commissioners on how opioid-abatement funds are being used locally, including a new $18,000 youth-prevention allocation and several recovery and jail-based programs that are already operating in the county.
County staff said the $18,000 will be divided between two local organizations, Key Choices and Rogers County Youth Services, to expand school-based prevention services in high-need schools. The presenter said the county’s needs assessment identified several schools with “high priority” needs and that additional investment will be sought in future funding rounds.
The county is also examining harm-reduction measures tailored to Rogers County and Claremore, where staff said options typical of larger cities may not be feasible. Staff said they are exploring training, emergency supply distribution and other locally appropriate measures and plan to bring more detail to upcoming meetings.
Nick McMillan, identified by staff during the update, described three programs run through Family and Children Services that have received opioid-abatement funding: a women-in-recovery prison-diversion program; a parenting-in-jail program that provides parenting classes and child visitation support; and a GED-in-jail program that includes a mobile education van used for post-release classes and community education services. McMillan said the women-in-recovery program currently has nine participants, six of whom are mothers, and reported employment and training outcomes among participants. He said the parenting program had previously relied on TANF funding that ended and that opioid-abatement funds helped sustain services.
Staff also reported about five recovery-housing options in the county, but said demand far exceeds supply: roughly “300-plus” clients pass through recovery services and wait lists are long. Officials said they are working to increase both the number and the quality of recovery housing beds for men, women and families.
Staff noted the county’s opioid-abatement committee visited the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office and were told the next application round will likely open in March; staff said the county intends to apply and that the county’s initial award of $507,000 helped launch programs already in place.
Project ECHO, a virtual clinical-education network hosted by Oklahoma State University, was cited as a free training and networking resource staff are trying to connect to local health providers and school nurses.
County commissioners praised staff work and asked questions about program capacity and coordination. Commissioners and staff said they plan to pursue additional funding and to use the county’s experience as a model for other counties in the state.
• What’s next: staff said they will return with further detail on harm-reduction plans and additional funding requests when the AG’s application opens in March.
