County health department to accept $247,270 ADHS amendment for overdose-prevention work, naloxone distribution and transportation services

Cochise County Health and Social Services presented an amendment to the Arizona Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Program contract with the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). The amendment (CTR063847, as listed in the agenda) provides $247,270 for the period Sept. 30, 2024, through Sept. 29, 2025, and covers naloxone distribution, the linkages-to-care initiative, training and overdose-fatality review summaries, staff said.

Suzanne Hagel, speaking for the health department, said Amendment 2 transfers some community-health-worker salary costs into the contract budget; otherwise the program deliverables remain the same. The county does not match the funds for this contract, Hagel said — the amendment is funded by state and federal sources.

Hagel described expanded transportation services tied to the program: since September the county has made 30 transports for people released from custody to treatment facilities, and the county provides transportation countywide (Bisbee, Douglas, Wilcox and other locations) to help people access treatment and follow-up care. Hagel said several program participants have returned to Cochise County after treatment when transportation back was offered.

Board members asked whether the grant supports needle-exchange programming; Hagel said the contract focuses on naloxone and linkages to care and does not fund needle-exchange activities. Questions about program scale and long-term in-county treatment capacity prompted discussion about gaps in local rehabilitation services and the need to transport some people to outside facilities.