Commissioner raises concern over repeat use of county-funded residential treatment under Addiction Treatment Services contract

A commissioner at the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners meeting on Feb. 2 questioned whether the two-year, $100,000 agreement with Addiction Treatment Services Inc. should include limits preventing the same individual from using inpatient residential treatment multiple times.

The exchange occurred after the board motioned to approve the two-year agreement using opioid-settlement funds to provide withdrawal management and inpatient residential treatment to qualifying county residents. A commissioner voiced concern about per-person costs and repeat use, saying, “It's $13,800 for somebody to stay the 60 days and I would I'd rather see say that a person in the 2 year contract can only use it once. That a person doesn't come back 2 or 3 times by our unlimited resources just because they qualify.”

A staff member responded that Addiction Treatment Services had structured eligibility to help as many people as possible and said staff could return with language limiting repeat use if the board preferred. The staff member said, "we could add it in there somewhere that person couldn't use it, whatever you want more than once in a in the 2 year period." The transcript records that staff offered to bring back proposed criteria.

Why it matters: Commissioners flagged the potential for concentrated spending on repeated stays by a single individual; the board approved the contract but directed staff to provide follow-up if the board requests eligibility limits.

Ending: The board approved the contract and authorized the chair to sign; staff indicated they would return with proposed limits or eligibility criteria if the board asks for them.