The first step for Living In Transition Effectively (LITE) to get $26,312 for overseeing 18 boxes containing Narcan in the county and distributing harm reduction materials was made at the Health First Kosciusko Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday.
The committee approved recommending that the Kosciusko County Board of Health approve the above expenditures at its next meeting. Kosciusko County Commissioners will also have to OK the funds, which are a special allocation to the Kosciusko County Health Department through the Health First Indiana initiative.
At the Health First meeting Wednesday, LITE Executive Director Tammy Cotton spoke before the committee on the two measures. Her organization helps people battling addiction in the county.
At its last meeting, the committee approved LITE getting $4,420 to purchase the boxes containing Narcan, which helps with opioid overdoses. The committee also approved at its last meeting recommending that the board of health approve $35,125 in Health First funds for harm reduction kits.
Cotton explained at Wednesday's meeting those kits include condoms, bandages, saline, an antiseptic and resources to local organizations like Fellowship Missions. There's also one dose of Narcan per kit.
If ultimately approved by the board of health and commissioners, $20,592 of the $26,312 recommended at Wednesday's meeting will pay for LITE staff to check on the Narcan boxes around the county, with an aim to have a box in every township. The remaining $5,720 will pay for staff to assemble and distribute the harm reduction kits.
At the meeting, the committee also:
• Heard that Kosciusko County Health Officer Dr. Eric Waldo is still working with a local tattoo artist on gathering information for an ordinance which would help regulate tattoo and piercing shops in the county.
• Heard that the county wage committee approved hiring a secretary to help former Health First Kosciusko Administrative Assistant Liz McCullough with paperwork required by the state for Health First. McCullough is now serving as the interim Health First Kosciusko coordinator as the previous coordinator, Kurt Carlson, was recently let go by the county due to disagreement on how to spend the Health First funds.
• Heard that Joe's Kids, Fellowship Missions and the Kosciusko County Food Security Coalition may be asking for funds for various initiatives at a later meeting. The specific requests were not detailed at Wednesday's meeting.
• Welcomed new members Stacy Frank and Dave Wolkins to the committee. Frank, who serves in nursing leadership at Parkview Health, replaced Terry Owens, who opted to step down a while back. Wolkins is filling the Kosciusko County Council's spot on the committee.
• Also heard that Berto Nunez, with Paddock Springs senior living community, will also serve on the committee.
The committee's next meeting is 6 p.m. April 16 in the Kosciusko County Courthouse old courtroom.