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Durham County staff seek $50,396 for EMS bridge MAT program and $30,000 for naloxone supplies
Summary
County staff asked the Board to recognize $50,396 in year-four EMS Bridge MAT grant funds to allow specially trained paramedics to initiate buprenorphine after overdoses and requested $30,000 in opioid settlement funds to purchase additional naloxone for vending machines and community distribution.
Durham County staff requested that the Board recognize $50,396 in year-four funding for the EMS Bridge Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program and approve an additional $30,000 from the North Carolina Opioid Settlement Fund to purchase naloxone units for county distribution.
The EMS Bridge MAT request, presented by Helen Tripp, EMS MIH Program Manager, and Mark Lockhart, Director of the Office of Emergency Services, would extend a program that allows specially trained paramedics to induce buprenorphine in the field after an opioid-related emergency, provide a warm handoff to community opioid treatment program providers, and bridge medication for up to seven days while additional treatment is arranged. Staff materials say the grant’s original award period ran Oct. 1, 2022–Sept. 30, 2025 and that NCDHHS MMDDSUS added $50,396 in 2025 and extended the period of performance through Sept. 30, 2026; the program has been paid in prior years with year-by-year awards and reporting requirements.
Public Health also asked the board to approve a $30,000 allocation from opioid settlement funds to purchase additional naloxone units for county vending machines and community distribution. The agenda materials state this increase would bring Durham County’s harm-reduction allocation for the 2025–26 fiscal year to $371,143.
Why it matters: The EMS Bridge MAT program is designed to increase immediate access to evidence-based medication for opioid use disorder at the point of emergency care and to reduce overdose deaths by connecting patients to ongoing treatment. Naloxone availability supports rapid reversal of opioid overdoses and complements outreach and treatment efforts.
Context and next steps: The EMS Bridge MAT materials note prior awards to the county (year one: $73,660.06; year two: $129,866.61; year three: $125,981.00) and describe collaboration with the Durham Joins Together to Save Lives task force for follow-up and performance measurement at 30, 90 and 180 days. The Board’s agenda lists the County Manager’s recommendation to approve the budget ordinance amendment and authorize the County Manager to execute related contracts; the item was scheduled on the consent agenda for Board review and approval.
