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Sagadahoc commissioners approve opioid-settlement funding for naloxone, community navigator and crisis canines
Summary
The Sagadahoc County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved allocations from opioid settlement funds including $50,000 for naloxone training/access, $100,000 to hire a Community Navigator, and funding for law enforcement and EMA canines; an emergency request from Tedford Housing was left for further review.
The Sagadahoc County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 18 approved a package of opioid-settlement-funded programs recommended by the county Board of Health, including $50,000 for naloxone training and access and $100,000 to hire a Sagadahoc County Community Navigator.
Melissa Fochesato, Board of Health chair and director of community health, told commissioners the allocation plan was vetted by the Board of Health and analyzed against projected settlement revenue through 2030 to ensure sustainability for the proposed staff position. "Part of the Warming Center planning did include all the city managers from Sagadahoc County," Fochesato said when discussing a Tedford Housing emergency request; she said she would try to get additional answers and numbers before the next meeting.
Commissioner Charles Crosby said he preferred considering each request separately rather than voting on a block so that one controversial item would not sink others. He voiced caution about long-term commitments from settlement dollars, noting national trends of program cuts and the risk nonprofit services could be reduced in the future.
Commissioner Steve August, who sits in on Board of Health meetings, said most items (other than the Tedford emergency request) had been fully discussed by the committee and represented strong recommendations. The board approved $7,500 combined to Bath and Topsham police and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department for youth education, $18,000 to Sagadahoc County EMA for a crisis canine, and $7,000 to Topsham Police Department for a department canine.
The board voted 3-0 to authorize the awards described above and to fund the Community Navigator position as a grant-funded role that can be terminated if external funding falls short. Administrator Amber Jones said she and Board of Health staff will follow up on the Tedford Housing emergency request; that item was not included in the approved package and will be brought back for further vetting.
Next steps: Administrator Jones and Board of Health staff will seek additional data from Tedford Housing and the Board of Health will review any emergency requests at its next meeting before returning to the commissioners.
