Volunteers of America (VOA) asked Fremont County commissioners on Tuesday to earmark $164,250 in opioid-relief funds to support two treatment beds at the Center of Hope for people with opioid-use disorder.

Heidi McNeil, VOA vice president of residential services, said the Center of Hope has 21 total beds and requested funding to operate two beds at a daily rate that would cover room, board, therapy, telehealth psychiatric services and medication-assisted treatment (including Suboxone). She cited local need: the county coroner recorded a sharp increase in opioid-related deaths in 2025 and VOA has treated 85 patients with opioid-use-disorder diagnoses across 2024–25.

Commissioners agreed to proceed with the required public-budgeting steps: staff will advertise a budget hearing to consider adding the request to the opioid-relief budget. Several commissioners noted the county’s opioid settlement fund balance and asked staff to coordinate scheduling and paperwork before the county can commit funds.

Why it matters: The request would expand local capacity for residential treatment and medication-assisted therapy in a county reporting elevated opioid vulnerability and overdose deaths. Commissioners asked for performance metrics and budgeting details before an appropriation would be finalized.

What’s next: County staff will include the VOA request in a budget hearing and report back to commissioners; a formal appropriation would follow public hearing and budget-adoption procedures.