Elwood board approves six-month MOA with Access Behavioral Health to continue local opioid services

The Board of Works and Public Safety approved a six-month memorandum of agreement on Feb. 2 that would move locally distributed opioid-settlement funds to Access Behavioral Health LLC after the prior provider, MC PATH, dissolved.

City attorney Mr. Graham told the board he had reviewed the draft and concluded the company is eligible to receive the funds and that the agreement includes exit provisions if problems arise. "It is certainly eligible to receive these city funds," Mr. Graham said during the discussion.

Staff explained the arrangement is intended to maintain addiction services previously provided by MC PATH in the building that had been provided by St. Vincent Hospital. Amber Evans, identified in the discussion as the chief probation officer, had been consulted during the search for a provider and staff said the six-month term should bridge to the annual opioid draw and allow time to determine longer-term distribution.

Council members asked how often the city receives the settlement draws; staff said annual draws are typically quantified by August with distribution in October, and that additional smaller disbursements can come from other litigation settlements. "We usually get it around August; we get it in October," a staff member said.

On a motion and second, the board approved the MOA by voice vote. The agreement directs that Access Behavioral Health provide the same services MC PATH had supplied and receive any distributed opioid funds from the attorney general for the stated period. City staff said they would continue negotiations with the hospital property owner as needed and monitor the provider’s performance under the MOA.

The board’s approval starts the six-month arrangement; staff said they expect to reassess funding and service continuity as the next opioid settlement draw approaches.