Helios Alliance presents five-pronged needs assessment, urges targeted RFP for Mobile County opioid funds

Representatives from the Helios Alliance told the Mobile County Commission on Aug. 25 that a countywide needs assessment of opioid-related services identified five priority areas and that the county should approve a carefully worded request for proposals to allocate existing opioid settlement funds.

The Helios representative said the assessment, begun in January, combined local interviews, simulation modeling using Mobile County data, and reviews of national best practices. "We have identified 5 key needs that currently exist in Mobile County, and we have converted these to action statements," the Helios representative said. The five areas are: removing barriers to care; creating more stable communities (including transportation, stable jobs and education); expanding prevention and education (including outreach for people over 60); supporting local care providers and filling financial gaps for kinship guardians and foster caregivers; and creating safe, treatment-focused spaces within existing county infrastructure such as jails.

The consultant recommended the county endorse a targeted RFP process designed to elicit programs from community and outside providers to meet those needs. "We would be honored if we could participate and lead that RFP process. We are prepared, with your approval, to start that process in mid-September," the Helios representative said, adding that, if authorized, Helios could present recommendations for allocating the county's settlement funds by December. When asked whether that next step would be part of Helios's current scope or would require an amended scope, the Commission President said, "So is it would that next step task, is that part of your current scope or would the scope need to be amended?" The Helios representative replied that it "would be a different scope."

The assessment highlighted an unexpected finding: a need for expanded prevention and education services for residents older than 60 as well as for youth. The consultants also recommended working closely with health-care providers and patients on prescribing and treatment practices and suggested funding supports for caregivers and foster families who work with children of parents with opioid use disorder.

No formal vote to authorize an RFP or to amend Helios's scope appears in the meeting record. The Helios representatives said they were prepared to begin the RFP process in mid-September if the county provided approval to proceed, with recommendations to follow in December. The presentation materials were provided to the commission as a notebook with a table of contents and additional resources.

The presentation was given during the commission's regular meeting; no related ordinance, amendment, or contract award was recorded on the meeting agenda for this item.