Assumption Parish to use opioid settlement funds for inmate mental-health services; Correct Health approved for 55% allocation
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Summary
The parish finance committee authorized using opioid-settlement funds to pay 55% of inmate mental-health services, effective April 1, following Correct Health's proposal; jurors said the move would reduce pressure on the general fund while staff continue reporting and contract coordination.
The Assumption Parish finance committee voted to authorize using opioid-settlement funds to pay for inmate mental-health services, agreeing to allocate 55% of the contract cost to those funds effective April 1.
Speaker 10, a finance/administration official, presented the options and said Correct Health had proposed taking over mental-health services at the jail and ‘‘could justify anywhere from 45 to 55 percent’’ of the contract being billed to opioid funds. He said that using opioid settlement dollars for up to 55% of Correct Health’s contract ‘‘in effect does save the general fund’’ and could be coordinated with upcoming jail control‑room repairs and contract renewal timing.
Committee members pressed for details about census numbers and reporting. Speaker 10 said he was waiting for the jail to provide the inmate census for 2025 to confirm whether a proposed contract amendment increasing female inmate coverage would be necessary at renewal. He also told jurors the parish’s current contract with South Central Human Services Authorities includes a 30‑day opt‑out clause and that ADA/legal review would be required before any termination or merger of contracts.
During discussion, members raised concerns about auditing, oversight and whether Correct Health’s assessment that existing contractors were not providing comprehensive mental-health services was independently verifiable. Speaker 8 cautioned that a contractor who benefits from a contract change might be biased, saying, ‘‘I'm just being a little bit hesitant that the person that benefit from the contract is the one suggesting that we change.’’ Speaker 10 said staff would meet with the sheriff and other stakeholders to verify service levels before finalizing the arrangement.
The motion to authorize use of opioid-settlement funds to pay for inmate mental-health services — including portions to be paid to Correct Health at a 55% allocation — passed on a recorded committee motion. Staff said they would prepare the reporting and contract amendments necessary for implementation and track the fiscal impact on the general fund.
