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Nash County approves $700,000 opioid‑settlement plan to keep two school behavioral‑health clinicians
Summary
County commissioners approved an Option B opioid settlement strategy to reimburse Nash County Public Schools up to $175,000 per year for four years to preserve two behavioral‑health clinicians serving students; funding is reimbursement‑based and contingent on invoices and program reporting.
The Nash County Board of Commissioners voted May 4 to adopt an Option B collaborative strategic plan and authorize up to $700,000 over four years for school‑based behavioral‑health services aimed at prevention and early intervention.
Tia Fuller, representing the county’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Council, told the board the collaborative planning process engaged providers, community organizations and people with lived experience to identify evidence‑based prevention strategies. The council recommended dedicating $175,000 per year for four years to help preserve and continue clinicians who deliver behavioral‑health care in local schools. Fuller said the funds will be distributed on a reimbursement basis: “The opioid settlement fund request is $700,000 over the course of four years, which equates to $175,000 a year.”
Commissioners sought implementation details. Staff clarified the clinicians are currently in place and had been funded by grant sources that are expiring; the county‑funded reimbursement is intended to avoid an immediate loss of services while providing quarterly reporting on caseloads and outcomes. Commissioners asked that the school system provide documentation of confidentiality safeguards, caseload numbers, and measurable outcomes; staff committed to quarterly program updates to the board.
The board approved the plan and the associated resolution directing settlement funds toward the school‑based behavioral health strategy. The approved arrangement will require the school system to submit invoices for eligible costs and to report service metrics to the county for transparency.
What’s next: The schools will provide quarterly invoices and program reports; the county will reimburse eligible costs under the settlement reporting rules and monitor outcomes and privacy protections.
