Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Soar Iv Opioid Grant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs $1.3 million SOAR IV grant to expand jail-based opioid treatment
Summary
The Health and Human Services Committee recommended a $1,299,883 supplemental appropriation (SOAR IV) to expand medication-assisted treatment in Montgomery County correctional facilities, funding new clinical and nursing positions and service delivery for screening, treatment and reentry planning.
The Montgomery County Health and Human Services Committee reviewed and signaled support for Supplemental Appropriation 25-33, a $1,299,883 state grant (SOAR IV) intended to expand medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in the county correctional facility. Council staff described the funding as the fourth SOAR iteration and said it will finance new positions and service delivery to meet state-required screening, assessment and treatment standards.
"So this SOAR 4 grant aims to bring the county's MAT program up to the mandated MAT minimums and standards of care and licensing requirements," Council staff said during the committee presentation. Staff listed planned hires including a new therapist, four community health nurses and one community services aide, and said the funds will support screenings, examinations, behavioral health treatment and reentry planning.
Monica Martin, Chief of Behavioral Health and Crisis Services, told the committee the program addresses a statutory requirement and operational challenges in recruiting for contracted roles. "We have no choice but to move forward and to do this great work," Martin said, noting that people released from incarceration face sharply elevated overdose risk. She added DHHS had received notice of partial FY26 funding but described sustainability as likely piecemeal and contingent on multiple revenue sources.
Committee members voiced support for the recommendation and the item will move forward in the council process; council staff noted a public hearing on the supplemental appropriation is scheduled for March 11. The department and staff also discussed contingency planning, including pursuing additional grants and opioid abatement funds if federal pass-through funding becomes unreliable.
