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Board of Health urges county to use opioid settlement share for naloxone access, a response liaison and regional coordination
Summary
The Board of Health recommended that Sagadahoc County prioritize expanding community Naloxone access, funding a community liaison to support first responders and improving regional partner coordination for warm handoffs when spending the county's share of opioid settlement funds.
Melissa Fochesato, chair of the Sagadahoc County Board of Health and director of community health at Midcoast Hospital, presented the board's recommendations for the county's allotment of opioid settlement funds during the July 9 meeting.
Fochesato summarized how the settlements flow to Maine: "The State will receive $234 million over seventeen (17) years. The Attorney General will receive 20%, the Maine Recovery Council 50%, and the subdivisions will receive 30% to allocate." She said the Maine Recovery Council has begun forming contracts and an RFP process to distribute its share and that the subdivisions (counties and towns that enrolled) get an ongoing allocation that local bodies will decide how to spend.
The Board of Health's three principal recommendations were: 1) Increase community access to Naloxone, including distributed kits and public placements where appropriate; the board noted some programs have placed Naloxone in discharge packets for maternity patients to reduce stigma and increase availability. 2) Fund or share a community liaison or navigator to assist first responders and families with warm handoffs to treatment and recovery services (for example, sharing Options representatives or mental health liaisons across agencies). 3) Strengthen local partner coordination so jurisdictions have clearer inventories of resources (including making sure resources are listed on 211) and can make immediate referrals into treatment.
Sheriff Joel Merry responded to a commissioners' question about field use of Naloxone, stating patrol currently administers the medication "about a dozen times a year." Fochesato and the BOH presentation emphasized building on existing programs, avoiding duplication, and expanding prevention efforts in schools.
Why it matters: The county's decisions about how to allocate its portion of settlement funds will determine funding for prevention, harm reduction and treatment navigation resources in Sagadahoc County. The BOH asked the commission to consider supporting these priorities and exploring partnership arrangements to increase capacity.
Next steps: The BOH presentation and recommendations will inform the county's deliberations on potential opioid settlement uses; no formal allocations were decided at the July 9 meeting.
