Commissioners Notebook: July 2024

Published on July 12, 2024

CONCORD, N.C. – More funds are coming to Cabarrus following Kroger Co.’s agreement to settle lawsuits connected to national opioid settlements.  

The County will receive approximately $647,000 in addition to the overall disbursement of nearly $22 million allocated over 18 years (2022-2038).  

Assistant County Manager Aalece Pugh presented a resolution on the funding to commissioners at the July 1 Work Session.  

Pugh and John Eller of Health Management Associates shared details on a strategic plan for the opioid settlement funding at the June Work Session. Commissioners approved the plan at the June Regular Meeting. 

The plan resulted from several months of research, including a public needs survey and discussions with various local healthcare providers and community partners.  

The plan prioritizes nine focus areas, including collaborative strategic planning, evidence-based addiction treatment, recovery support services, early intervention, prevention of overdose deaths, addiction treatment for incarcerated individuals, reentry programs, connecting people to assistance and addressing needs of pregnant women and their families.  

The funding will go to both County-operated programs and non-County organizations, the report says. Larger recipients include the Cabarrus County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Sheriff’s Office Medication Assisted Treatment Programs, along with community-based youth education programs.   

To review the full strategic plan, visit cabarruscounty.us and click “Explore the Opioid Settlement Strategic Plan” under the “Featured” tab.  

During the July Work Session, Commissioners also: 

• Heard an update on the Regional Behavioral Health Center construction project from Design and Construction Director Michael Miller and Messer Construction Senior Project Executive Jason Harris. Miller presented commissioners with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) bid that will cover early site work, including land clearing, erosion control, building pad preparation, foundation pouring, concrete slab forming and structural steel installation. GMP contracts set the maximum price a contactor can bill a customer. The Regional Behavioral Health Center is expected to open in 2026. The 59,300-square-foot facility will feature a full continuum of care, including a Behavioral Health Urgent Care, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility and a Facility-Based Crisis program. Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the GMP package at the Regular Meeting.  

• Heard from EMS Deputy Chief Kara Clarke on a grant received from the Cannon Foundation. The $35,000 grant is earmarked for items related to pediatric care, such as multi-functional bags, new child restraint systems, training equipment and thermometer probes. “The equipment not only helps our pediatric patients, it also helps our EMTs and Paramedics provide better quality treatment,” Clarke told commissioners. No County match is required. 

To watch the full July Work Session, visit youtube.com/cabarruscounty. 

While normal Regular Meetings occur on the third Monday of each month, July’s meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday (July 16) at the Cabarrus County Government Center in downtown Concord.  

Residents can watch commissioner meetings on the Cabarrus County livestream at cabarruscounty.us, on YouTube (@CabarrusCounty) and on CabCo TV (Spectrum Cable Channel 22).  

Stay updated on these and all County programs and projects by visiting cabarruscounty.us and following Cabarrus County at facebook.com/cabarruscounty and on Twitter and Instagram @CabarrusCounty.