Board actions, 7/23 – Welcome to San Bernardino County

Board invests settlement funds in fight against opioid abuse

The Board of Supervisors is putting opioid lawsuit settlement funds to work combatting the local opioid epidemic.

San Bernardino County has been a party to several settlements against pharmaceutical companies for their involvement in the opioid crisis across the country. To date, the county has secured more than $13 million in settlement funds and anticipates receiving additional funding spread over an 18-year period to be used to combat the effects of the opioid crisis.

On Tuesday, supervisors revised the $23.5 million County Opioid Settlement Funding Expenditure Plan it approved 12 months ago, which funds substance abuse disorder programs and initiatives carried out by the County Behavioral Health and Public Health departments.

The programs and initiatives approved by the board include:

Addressing substance use problems among youth involved in the child welfare system by expanding screening, substance use treatment and care coordination. An estimated 120 youth are anticipated to be served, resulting in increased education, recovery, permanency and lifetime abstinence.

Providing substance use outpatient services at several County Probation Day Reporting Centers for approximately 200 clients.

Expanding existing county outreach efforts by increasing access to naloxone and providing education to adolescents, parents and community members.

Fostering collaboration between community-based organizations, school districts, healthcare providers and individuals with lived experience to expand current overdose prevention strategies.

Funding the renovation of a facility in Victorville that provides withdrawal management and residential treatment services to residents countywide. This is a 60-bed facility that has a capacity to serve 960 individuals annually.

Increasing awareness and education regarding the dangers of opioid use.

Board puts grant to work to combat homelessness

An estimated 300 San Bernardino County residents at risk of becoming homeless will benefit from $526,611 in federal grant funds accepted by the Board of Supervisors.

The state awarded the funds to the county from the Federal McKinney Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness program for the provision of services to individuals who have a serious mental illness, or who have co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use disorders, and who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

The County Department of Behavioral Health will use the funding to provide targeted outreach, planning and coordination for housing services, linkage to behavioral health services including medication support, job training, education services and case management services to an estimated 300 clients at an annual estimated program cost of $2,340 per individual.

Supervisors bring big-league dreams to Bloomington park

The Little League facility at Bloomington’s Kessler Park will soon resemble a Major League Baseball stadium.

The Board of Supervisors awarded a contract to Los Angeles Engineering to construct the Kessler Park Dream Field project with funding coming from Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.’s Fifth District’s Priorities Program budget. Construction is anticipated to commence next month and be completed by March.

The board-governed Bloomington Recreation and Park District maintains two community parks – Kessler Park and Ayala Park, an equestrian arena, sports fields and a community center that offer various recreational activities for Bloomington. The County Department of Public Works – Special Districts directly manages, operates and maintains the district.

The Kessler Park Dream Field project consists of demolishing, replacing and upgrading the field with synthetic turf, improved dugouts, new bleachers with shade, a scoring/announcing stand and a new electronic scoreboard for Ballfield No. 2. The overall design intent is to bring a “big league” theme and feel to a Little League facility, making it a “Dream Field.” The ballfield dimensions and proportions will remain consistent with the existing Little League layout.

Additional County Update News – July 25, 2024