Recovery court asks for $10,000 in opioid funds to add blood-based drug testing
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Summary
Amy Galyon told the Blount County budget committee the recovery court seeks $10,000 from an opioid grant to pay for dried‑blood‑spot tests (about $100 per test) that can detect newer 'gas‑station' drugs and prescribed medications more reliably than urine screening. The program said the tests helped retain participants and improve treatment decisions.
Amy Galyon, who directs Blount County’s recovery court, told the budget committee she’s asking the county to allocate $10,000 from the opioid grant fund to pay for dried‑blood‑spot (DBS) testing to supplement urine screens. “Every test is a $100,” Galyon said, explaining the program prefers the full panel because the cost is the same regardless of panel size.
Galyon said the court’s program graduated 31 participants last year and currently has about 120 people enrolled of an official capacity of 140. She said DBS testing has allowed staff to identify recently used substances and prescription‑medication levels that urine testing sometimes misses, helping the team tailor treatment and retain participants: “We were able to keep two people in the program because of that.”
Committee members asked about the legal status and oversight of substances Galyon described as “gas‑station drugs,” including kratom and xylazine. Galyon characterized kratom as widely available at convenience stores and said some participants report more severe withdrawal than from traditional opioids; she framed that as an operational observation reported by participants and staff rather than as a legal finding. She and other presenters also said the recovery court used opioid grant funds to hire an additional treatment specialist and to pay for training and equine therapy.
The request is for testing capacity only; Galyon said staff would use baseline tests on intake and additional tests as needed to document levels and monitor change over time. The committee did not take a formal vote on the request during the presentation. The recovery court’s delinquent‑referral work and plans to coordinate with the district attorney and probation offices were described as next steps for increasing referrals and program participation.
