Sumner County opioid abatement committee approves Cumberland Heights amendment, outlines grant plan and data limits

At a March meeting of the Sumner County Opioid Abatement Committee, members approved an amendment to a $50,000 Cumberland Heights Foundation contract and reviewed how state opioid settlement money can be spent.

Mary Janine, chair of the committee, opened the meeting by noting the urgency of the work: “We do have recently have had some activity with opioid, overdoses in our county, and we're mindful of that all the time,” she said. County staff reviewed the state memo of agreement (Exhibit E), explaining that restricted funds may be used for counseling, peer support, recovery case management, residential treatment with access to medications, provider education, peer recovery centers and certain facility build-outs, while less-restricted funds require additional reporting and oversight.

A staff member told the committee that the county “should be receiving a check of $454,643.61” from the state for abatement and remediation purposes, but stressed that money cannot be spent until the funds are actually received and properly recorded.

The committee heard an ODMAP (overdose detection mapping) update and was told the group can obtain quarterly data extracts or heat maps but cannot receive pinpoint, person-level maps because of HIPAA constraints. Members contrasted that cadence with other nearby counties; one attendee noted Rutherford County’s map is updated every 24 hours.

Members also discussed a newly reported synthetic opioid, referred to during the meeting as “cyclophene,” which has been detected in Knox County. Staff said Middle Tennessee forensic labs are not yet routinely testing for the compound, so local prevalence in Sumner County is unknown.

On a specific funding action, the committee considered Amendment No. 1 to Cumberland Heights Foundation’s contract. The amendment would remove a 1–2 page essay requirement that a scholarship applicant previously had to submit in order to access county-funded assistance. Supporters said removing the essay barrier could let more county residents draw down the award if insurance or other payment gaps would otherwise leave them unable to access care; opponents raised concerns about precedent and caps on per-person assistance. The amendment was approved by voice vote; committee member Will Tyler recorded his opposition, saying, “For the record, I oppose.”

Staff said an RFP for the recovery court build-out (the former general sessions court) is currently posted; Wald is listed as the architect and Scott Shamrock will lead the mandatory bid walkthrough. Staff also noted two of the three settlement checks have been accounted for in reporting and that a state-required report (covering the three checks received) was due Feb. 27 and would be distributed to the committee.

Looking ahead, staff asked whether the committee wanted to begin work on FY2627 community grant applications now. Several members recommended starting the application process so community organizations have time to prepare; staff cautioned that awards cannot be made until the county receives the funds but said the application process itself can begin and that the next meeting will be lengthy to walk members through the application materials.

The committee set a future meeting date for March 31 at 5:30 p.m. to review applications and related materials and agreed staff will circulate an updated account-balance report showing current available funds and allocations.

Actions taken at the meeting will be reflected in contracts and in the county’s state reporting; staff committed to sharing the required state report and a current balance summary with committee members.