More agencies seek share of Brooke County opioid funds
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WELLSBURG - Brooke County commissioners continue to receive requests for a share of the county’s opioid settlement appropriations, receiving three more applications in recent days.
Commissioners, during their meeting Tuesday, also heard from representatives of one of the groups which previously had submitted a request for funds.
"We’ve received a few more applications," announced County Clerk Kimberly Barbetta Tuesday. "I did send these all to the county Prosecutor’s Office as well as you."
Of those, one proposal was an addendum to a previously submitted request from Brooke County Emergency Management Agency.
The remaining new submissions were $5,600 from the Wellsburg Police Department and $21,850 from the City of Follansbee.
They join requests from close to a dozen area agencies.
That includes local nonprofit Empower & Link Inc., representatives of which were in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting.
The organization, which had requested $374,015, provides "wraparound support" in support of aiding individuals with substance use issues, homelessness and more by providing services focused on housing stability, behavioral health, legal aid and advocacy, education and life skills, transportation, health care and locating possible job opportunities.
"There’s been such an increase in referrals," said founder Wuela Heceta, noting requests for their services have been going up, along with the need for funding, something she said is affecting others in the area. "So many of the local agencies are out of funding."
Commissioner Christina White said she understands there is frustration with funding not being awarded as of yet, and she appreciates the services provided by the young organization, noting members of her own family have struggled with substance use issues, but she also explained the county has to follow requirements stipulated to it by the state in awarding any funds.
"The MOU is very strict," White said, referring to a memorandum of understanding signed with the West Virginia First Foundation as a condition of receiving a share of the opioid settlement dollars.
White commended those involved in the program, encouraging them to consider modifying their application to more closely meet the MOU requirements.
"I think it’s great. We don’t have anything in this area," she said.
Brooke County has received approximately $1.1 million in opioid funding, derived from settlements in lawsuits filed by the state against producers and distributors of pharmaceutical opioids.
In addition to Empower & Link, the county had received applications from the Brooke County Sheriff’s Department for $580,000; the county Health Department for $159,784; WVU Medicine for $125,000; Brooke County EMA/EMS Assistant Director Mike Loborec for $80,000; Easter Seals for $20,000; EMA/EMS Director Greg Moore for $295,000; Youth Services System Inc. for $185,000; Brooke County Firefighters Association for $116,599; and the Bethany Police Department for $114,734.29.
The Wellsburg Police Department also had previously submitted three funding applications, in the amounts of $43,441, $24,738.37 and $1,745, with most of those funds to be used for the department’s K-9 division, if awarded.