County to receive State Opioid Response grant; federal guidance narrows allowable harm‑reduction uses

Julie briefed the committee that the federal State Opioid Response grant dollars were released to the state and that Washington County will receive the grant for the current federal year (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30). She said the county applied annually for the award and that the timing of federal notifications often crosses local budget years.

Key program elements: Staff said the grant supports services such as medication‑assisted treatment (the county operates a Suboxone clinic funded in part by these dollars) and other opioid‑response services that the county would not otherwise provide. County staff noted that changes at the federal level had delayed the award because the federal agency was restating guidance about allowable uses.

Change in allowable uses: Julie told the committee that the federal agency’s revised guidance excludes harm‑reduction uses from allowable expenditures under this grant. County staff said that, if State Opioid Response funding were to be withheld in future years, the county would consider using opioid settlement dollars to continue priority services.

Next steps: County staff will continue administering the grant and tracking federal guidance changes, and they said they appreciate that the annual award returned for this federal year.