Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Opioid Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee weighs continuing opioid settlement-funded programs; department recommends MOUD in jails and prevention funding
Summary
DHHS recommended continuing three opioid programs within a $1.6 million restricted‑fund package: $800,000 for medication‑for‑opioid‑use‑disorder (MOUD) in county jails, $400,000 for FQHC treatment access, and $400,000 for prevention/coalition programs. Staff and legislators discussed matching requirements and outcomes reporting.
The Department of Health and Human Services told the Social Services Subcommittee it recommends continuing three opioid-related programs with $1.6 million in restricted‑fund authority included in the governor’s budget.
Eric Tadahara, director of the Office of Substance Use and Mental Health, said the department's recommendation prioritizes medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in county jails ($800,000), expanded opioid‑use‑disorder treatment access through federally qualified health centers ($400,000), and upstream prevention and coalition work ($400,000). Tadahara said these programs have shown measurable increases in service delivery where they were funded and that many local implementations required a local match to stretch state dollars.
Why this matters: The opioid settlement structure the legislature established now places much of the settlement principal in a trust account managed to preserve capital while using earned interest for program spending. Staff told the committee the interest-based approach reduces annual available spending in the near term; staff estimated available FY27 interest from the trust at about $3 million. The committee must decide whether to continue funding programs begun on earlier settlement appropriations as part of the FY27 budget.
Key clarifications: Committee members asked whether trust interest can only be used for mitigation of opioid harms; staff and department officials confirmed the interest must be used for mitigation, prevention or related services. Representative Peck asked about local recipients (a Tooele coalition was cited as a local partner); Tadahara confirmed that prevention/community coalitions and some county programs required matching funds, and that the prevention allocations were structured with a 1:1 match requirement for the local authority system.
What the department will present next: Staff noted that next week the committee will hear outcome reports from programs that first received opioid settlement funding in 2023 so members can judge effectiveness before recommending continuation.
Quotes: "This program has been extremely successful in regard to the number of individuals who have been served with MOUD based services in the jails," Eric Tadahara said while recommending $800,000 for jail‑based MOUD services.
Ending: The committee signaled interest in hearing recipient reports and performance outcomes next week before making final continuation decisions.
