Board approves nearly $5.9 million in MOUD grants, allows review up to $7 million

The KFA board approved a series of grants to expand access to medication for opioid use disorder, bringing the current award total to roughly $5.9 million and authorizing staff to consider awards up to $7 million to address distribution gaps across congressional districts.

Krista (staff member) told the board, "We received 34 technically, but 2 withdrew their applications, so we are down to 32," and walked members through rank-ordered summaries, consensus scores, estimated impact reports and the packet that highlighted the top six awards. After discussion of individual proposals, the board voted by voice to approve applications including the mobile MOUD unit, comprehensive care programs and several FQHC expansions; staff reported the new cumulative total at about $5.9 million.

Members debated whether to review applications below the red line to improve the statutory district distribution requirement for District 3. Krista noted the distribution imbalance and flagged candidates below the red line that could help: "You will see number 9 and number 13 that could address it," she said. The board voted to give itself latitude to review grants up to a $7 million maximum before deciding to fund additional proposals.

Board members raised questions about sustainability and cost per patient when comparing proposals. In the meeting, members drew attention to disparities (for example, different proposals had widely varying per-patient expenditures) and asked staff to follow up on budget details, sustainability plans and contingencies tied to year-two capital costs before final disbursement. The board also discussed offering technical assistance to applicants who were passed over for reasons of clarity or scope.

The board's decisions were made by motion and voice votes during the MOUD award selection agenda item. The body set a path forward to track district allocation and to weigh next month's responsive grants and other funding vehicles when determining whether further adjustments are necessary.