LETTER: Let WDAC do its job
Here we go again with Washington County bureaucrats thinking they can take and spend drug and alcohol money better than the agency contracted for those services.
In the year 2000, Washington County pulled in drug and alcohol services as part of county government. Within 12 months those services had to be put out for Request for Proposal (RFP) per the Department of Health who contracted for drug and alcohol services before there was a Department of Drug and Alcohol and a secretary in the governor’s Cabinet.
Since July 1, 2002, Washington Drug and Alcohol Inc. (WDAC) has managed those drug and alcohol funds with integrity, competence, no findings in audits and accolades. The agency has expanded its intervention services to reach folks suffering from substance abuse across the county. The agency provides science-based programs of prevention/refusal skills in every school district in Washington County. WDAC contracts with accredited providers for every level of care, from detox, rehab, and halfway house to outpatient opioid treatment.
WDAC had previously fought the opioid crisis with competence and the ability to swiftly adapt staffing where it was desperately needed. WDAC purchased Naloxone inhalers for the entire county, with training for all first responders, churches, hospitals, and families with loved ones fighting substance abuse.
WDAC has always participated with other county agencies in utilizing grant opportunities and providing services in conjunction with PCCD, the county jail and mental health organizations, Health Choices, etc. WDAC worked with the department in many pilot programs bringing the most innovative solutions to Washington County.
I heard the Human Services director say on WJPA radio that WDAC already has “too much money” and therefore was excluded from receiving the opioid settlement funding. Why wasn’t it given to the agency that is already providing those services? Washington County will not be able to take any of those drug and alcohol funds to use for any other purpose. They will find that any purchases made with those admin funds will remain the property of the state and not the county. The political shenanigans involved here will not serve Washington County.
If you are experiencing a substance abuse problem, please call 724-223-1181.
Melinda Keirs Strawn
Claysville