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Committee declines to endorse an unnamed MAT‑compliant facility, says commissioners should handle letters
Summary
The Penobscot County Opioid Settlement Committee reviewed a request for a letter of support for a proposed MAT‑compliant post‑incarceration facility and concluded it was inappropriate for the advisory committee to issue such an endorsement without commissioner approval and more information about the organization.
During the April 14 meeting, the committee discussed an emailed request for a letter of support for a proposed medication‑assisted‑treatment (MAT)‑compliant post‑incarceration facility being developed in the county. The requester asked for a confidential endorsement to support funding and licensing efforts.
Committee members raised concerns about issuing a general letter for an organization they did not know, citing missing information about the organization’s board, funding sources and licensing status. "I would be a little uncomfortable supporting an organization that I don't know who their board of directors are," one member said. Lindsay Smith, director of the Opioid Settlement Support Center, cautioned that as an advisory committee that will review grant applications, they should avoid showing favoritism: "As an impartial committee that is going to be taking grant applications, I don't think we have the ability to write this kind of a letter of support," she said.
Jamie Beck, the committee chair, said she would respond to the requester and CC the county commissioners, recommending that the commissioners provide any official endorsement. The group agreed the commissioners are the appropriate office to issue letters on behalf of the county and that the committee should avoid committing to endorsements that could create conflicts when applicants later seek settlement funding.
