Item:
Title
Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 26BCC079 Appropriating General Fund Restricted Fund Balance in the Amount of $441,419.41 to Increase Expenditure Authority for the Sheriff's Office Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Grant
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: April 13, 2026
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 26BCC079 appropriating $441,419.41 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 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
Resource Persons: Keisha Gaither, Finance Manager, Durham County Sheriff's Office; Justin Ellerbe, Chief of Detention Servies, Durham County Sheriff's Office; Clarence Birkhead, Durham County Sheriff.
County Manager's Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board appr...
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