Martinsville officials will talk opioid abatement at their 5 p.m. Tuesday regular session at the municipal building.
The item is a continuation of talks about an item from the city council’s last March regular session, when staff requested that council members approve a new position referred to as kinship navigator family services specialist. The position is described as someone who provides help to caregivers as they navigate the myriad services available to them.
“This specialist will assist kinship caregivers navigate services and strong connection to community supports to sustain permanency of children; therefore, creating a more stable environment and mitigating the risk of substance use disorder and opioid use disorder among youth in foster care,” reads information from the city. “The navigator will be skilled in substance-use prevention, substance use identification, and recovery support with aftercare.”
If approved, the specialist will be responsible for a number of tasks, including providing individuals and families with psychological support needed to cope with neglect, abuse or illnesses. Other general tasks include assigning appropriate staff to reports of neglect and abuse, and providing guidance to staff in the absence of a supervisor.
The three-year position is in partnership with Henry County and would serve both localities. The position is estimated to cost both Henry County and Martinsville $254,932. If approved, the city’s portion, totaling $84,892, would come from Virginia’s Opioid Abatement Authority.
The authority is the administrator of opioid settlement money earmarked for projects throughout the state. In 2023, Virginia received $23 million in funds from opioid-related court settlements. Of that amount, $8.7 million was designated for projects throughout Southside, including Henry County and Martinsville.
In an effort for transparency and to incentivize fund usage, each participating locality has to keep records of fund usage while reporting to the Opioid Abatement Authority. This will help to ensure compliance with agreements from the opioid settlements.
No matching local funds are required if the grant is approved.
