Item:
Title
Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 27BCC044 Appropriating General Fund Restricted Fund Balance in the Amount of $440,945 to Increase Expenditure Authority for the Sheriff’s Office Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Grant
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: November 9, 2026
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 27BCC044 appropriating $440,945 of General Fund Restricted Fund Balance to increase expenditure authority for the Sheriff’s Office Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Grant. The MAT funds are restricted and specific to local detention centers and are provided by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
This grant was originally awarded at the end of FY2023. Due to turnover in the Detention Facility and a subsequent review of the goals and objectives, the funded scope was modified to address more pressing needs within the MAT program. The grant was also extended to June 1, 2027.
This funding will increase opioid use disorder treatment and add support for individuals being released from the Durham County Detention facility. North Carolina continues to experience the harmful effects of the opioid epidemic. Researchers examined rates of fatal drug overdose among justice-involved individuals in North Carolina and found opioid overdose mortality rates more than 40 times higher than the general population. Those rates were highest during the first two weeks following release from custody. In accordance with Session Law 2021-180, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS) solicited applications from Sheriffs' Offices to establish, expand or maintain medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs of non-opioid, long-acting, injectable medication for the treatment of alcohol and/or opioid use disorder as part of reentry programming in county jails.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This request aligns with Durham County Strategic Goal: Financial Stewardship
Resourc...
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