Brevard County reports $5.9 million in opioid-abatement awards; contracts routed for signature

Wanita Jackson, Housing and Human Services, reported that at the March 17 Board of County Commissioners meeting the BOCC approved $5.9 million in opioid-abatement funding following recommendations from TIP subcommittees. She delivered a line-item breakdown of the awards and said staff are wrapping up agreements and routing contracts for signature.

Jackson said the award breakdown is: $2,000,000 to Circles of Care for jail-based medication-assisted treatment for incarcerated adults with opioid use disorder; $1,700,000 to Circles of Care to expand and enhance existing medication-assisted treatment in Brevard County; $780,000 to STEPS for specialized treatment, education and prevention services and to support access for indigent county residents to drug-court programming; $785,000 to STEPS for a "living room" project targeting indigent adults with opioid use disorder; and $597,000 to Recovery Connection of Central Florida to provide assistance to individuals and families dealing with opioid and other substance use disorders.

Jackson said the awarded contracts from this round will be executed in the coming weeks and that staff will schedule review-subcommittee meetings to plan the next RFA round once current agreements are in place. She and other members acknowledged that contracting and procurement timelines can be lengthy and committed to clearer planning for future RFAs.

Staff also updated the committee about a county public-awareness campaign produced by CTS: a theater trailer and digital streaming ads that will direct individuals to 211 for help locating services.

The committee did not vote on funding at this meeting; Jackson's report summarized BOCC action and next steps for implementation.