County gets funding to fight substance abuse

By Randy Pierce

Madison County has received funds from two different sources that are being designated for use in combatting the problem of substance abuse.

A pair of resolutions pertinent to this issue that were passed by the county board at its most recent meeting were brought forward from its finance and government operations committee which is chaired by Chris Guy of Maryville and also includes Dalton Gray of Troy and Ryan Kneedler of Collinsville among its members. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health has authorized federal grant money in an amount of $62,500 to be used toward the Madison County Health Department’s program consisting of a response plan for situations involving opioid overdoses “and associated morbidity and mortality.”

The county is receiving this grant with no obligation to put forth any matching funds. Any portion of this money not utilized during the grant period which ends on August 31 of this year can be carried over into the remainder of the county’s fiscal year.

The official terminology used to define this program source is the Local Health Department Overdoses Surveillance Response Grant. 

The county has additionally received $243,323 as a result of its share of a settlement reached with two nationwide opioid distributors, not identified by name, in the legislation approved by the board.

This money is being designated, as a result of the county board’s passing of a resolution about it, for providing support to substance use disorder providers along with the monitoring and surveillance needed for an online reporting system connected to this effort.