From left, Shasta County District 1 Supervisor/chair Kevin Crye, District 5 Supervisor Chris Kelstrom and District 3 Supervisor Mary Rickert. Photo by Mike Chapman.
The Board of Supervisors is plowing ahead with ways to spend millions of dollars that Shasta County is receiving to fight the crippling opioid epidemic.
However, not everyone is happy with the way board Chairman Kevin Crye is pushing the process forward.
Several supervisors and a few speakers at a special meeting asked the board to slow down so the community’s needs could be evaluated through a more methodical approach.
Supervisor Tim Garman even invoked a Bible verse to try and sway the board majority into taking more time. It didn’t work.
District 2 Supervisor Tim Garman. Photo by Mike Chapman.
There’s much at stake as the board’s decisions hold the promise of taking addicts off the street and immensely boosting countywide treatment programs involving fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone. Efforts to steer schoolchildren away from drugs likely will gain favor, too.
Organizations were given just two weeks to prepare their pitches for sharing the opioid settlement funds. Twenty groups scrambled to put together presentations for the Nov. 12 meeting, which lasted six hours.
Ideas ranged from opening much-needed detox centers to stocking vending machines with free Naloxone that brings people back to life from fentanyl overdoses.
Right now the county has about $10.5 million including interest but is due to receive about $39 million in total from opioid litigation settlements through fiscal year 2038-39, Deputy County Executive Officer Erin Bertain said. The upcoming payments should average about $2 million annually over the next 14 years.
Deputy County Executive Officer Erin Bertain. 2023 file photo by Mike Chapman.
The money comes from successful national lawsuits that were brought against manufacturers, distributors such as pharmacies, and other entities that had a hand in promoting the opioid epidemic
Even with the county’s fast start, deciding how best to divvy up the windfall likely will take months of board deliberations and staff time to set up contracts.
By the end of its lengthy meeting, the board agreed to bring back 14 groups – about three-fourths of the presenters – for further consideration. The board held off on making any final funding decisions because that wasn’t part of the agenda.
Shasta County Counsel Joseph Larmour emphasized several times that the board’s task this time around was to listen to the presentations and bring back the ones they wanted to hear more about.
More than the county can afford
Surveying the programs that made the initial cut, Garman gave the board a stark reality check.
He figured his running tally of the projects’ price tags added up to about to $23.835 million, over $13 million more than the county has in the bank right now.
Deputy executive officer Bertain cautioned the board about “overcommitting ourselves.”
“I feel like we are at this point,” she said.
Supervisor Patrick Jones also chimed in with advice on what needs to happen in the future.
“Clearly, we’re going to run out of money. … When we bring these things back, we’re clearly going to have to narrow this scope down,” he said.
Jones noted there’s not much time left for the present board to decide who gets opioid funds. Jones and Garman are lame ducks as a different board will be seated in January with two new faces, and possibly a third.
District 4 Supervisor-elect Matt Plummer speaks during the Board of Supervisors special meeting on Nov. 12, 2024. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Matt Plummer beat Jones in the March primary and will be the new District 4 supervisor. Garman will be replaced by District 2 Supervisor-elect Allen Long. Garman didn’t run because redistricting put him outside his present district, and into District 5, where Chris Kelstrom is supervisor.
The District 3 seat still is up in the air, although preliminary results from the November election show incumbent Supervisor Mary Rickert so far losing to challenger Corkey Harmon.
Bible doesn’t sway board
A chorus of critics pushed for more time to pick worthy programs, which drew a strong rebuke from Chairman Crye.
District 1 Supervisor/Chair Kevin Crye. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Even Supervisor Chris Kelstrom noted how the board makeup soon will change, and raised the idea of the process being rushed.
Kelstrom said he wondered whether the county’s Health and Human Services Agency shouldn’t undertake “a comprehensive assessment of what the needs are and maybe bring this back after the first of the year with the new board.”
Shasta County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Crye sits next to fellow Supervisor Chris Kelstrom during their special meeting on Nov. 12, 2024 to consider how to spend the county’s opioid settlement money. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Garman also advocated for a slower approach by quoting a Bible verse from Proverbs 15:22.
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed,” Garman said, noting how not everybody involved in local opioid solutions attended.
“I don’t feel like we are pulling any advisers in this situation,” he said.
“I don’t think you should rush on it,” Garman said. “Just get it right. Let’s get these ironed out and let’s make a difference in our community.”
From left, Shasta County Supervisors Jones, Garman and Rickert. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Garman made a motion to postpone for more public input, with Rickert seconding it, but the move failed 3-2.
Rickert also said it was premature for the board to choose one group or another. She’s been on the forefront of battling the county’s drug scourge for years.
District 3 Supervisor Mary Rickert. Photo by Mike Chapman.
“I think this is a much more in-depth process that has to take place before we can make those kinds of decisions,” she said.
“What I would like to do is to recommend that we pump the brakes and we look at this in a more thoughtful manner,” she said.
One of her ideas was to defer to the Shasta Health Assessment and Redesign Collaborative (SHARC) and get advice from professionals in the medical community.
“We need to slow down. We need to make sure we have shovel-ready projects,” she said. “I think we’re missing some of the voices in the community that we need to hear from.”
Voices missing
During public comment, Shasta Community Health Center CEO Brandon Thornock said he was impressed by the presentations, but said the whole community wasn’t represented. He favored a panel that would choose programs based on merit and impact.
Shasta Community Health Center CEO Brandon Thornock speaks during the Board of Supervisors special meeting on Nov. 12, 2024. Photo by Mike Chapman.
“The biggest question in my mind, however, is who speaks for the many organizations who didn’t, couldn’t or wouldn’t get here today,” he said.
“This social issue is too important to throw on the shoulders of a few individuals in a very, very short timeframe,” he said.
Thornock asked the board to reconsider its direction and let more organizations “submit their data points, insights and desires to an unbiased rating and ranking committee.”
In an interview with A News Cafe, Thornock said a lot of organizations were being left out, such as input from the Shasta Substance Use Coalition.
He said priorities should be ranked based on the community’s needs. Thornock also believes there’s an inherent bias in the process underway. “How can the board talk to all participants?” he asked.
Thornock said that while about a half-dozen groups in the coalition made presentations, there’s also “a number of providers who spend every day advocating toward these issues.”
“There’s a process – it’s well established – and it doesn’t have to take forever. I understand timeliness is a concern, but if you structure it in such a way and put a timeline and communicate effectively, everybody has an opportunity to chime in. Then we can identify what can be the most impactful to our community and then make investments in those areas. That’s all I ask,” Thornock said.
“If the community were to come together, make a decision that yes, this is an area we want to invest in, then that could be ranked a little bit higher.”
He said he liked the Empire Recovery Center’s proposal for a medical detox program. “We are very, very supportive of that idea. We don’t have medical detox in this community,” Thornock said.
Meanwhile, one of the presenters on the board’s list dropped out, saying the board’s effort needed to be expanded.
Justin Wandro, director of development for the Good News Rescue Mission, said the mission was withdrawing its application.
Justin Wandro of the Good News Rescue Mission speaks during the Board of Supervisors special meeting on Nov. 12, 2024. Photo by Mike Chapman.
“We looked at this process and we believe this is a great starting point, but we believe that we’re missing some voices in our community,” he said.
Wandro said some other boards and organizations were not able to collaborate and make thorough assessments in the short timeline set by the county.
‘Can’t be rushed enough’
In a strong response, Crye said he was tired of hearing about a lack of time, and criticized bureaucracy for stalling drug-fighting initiatives.
“I’m tired of government sitting on their hands, doing nothing. Meanwhile, kids are dying every day. I’m sick of that.
“So what I did is I brought this forward. I will be making a motion to move some money forward to get money to kids and youth programs who are making a difference because quite honestly government makes me sick to my stomach. They want to sit and talk about committees and commissions and blah, blah, blah blah, and on and on and on,” he said.
Crye said that although he wants to pursue some items this calendar year with a focus on prevention, he supposes the process may take 18 months. He hoped the board would figure it out by January 2026.
He also added: “None of this is rushed to me … it can’t be rushed enough. … The time is now and for me, I want to get money to prevention programs now because for every month we wait, that’s that many more youth are going to be impacted.”
Despite wanting more time, Supervisor Rickert saw a positive from the special meeting.
“The most valuable thing that happened today is that everybody got to hear what everybody else wants to do,” she said.
Shasta County CEO David Rickert (no relation to Supervisor Mary Rickert) said the board’s next steps will be revisiting the proposals as part of a cohesive plan. He admitted that, going forward, there’s a lot more work than he anticipated.
“This is a much bigger project than I realize,” CEO Rickert said. “There are a lot of particulars with what we’re going to give, what’s going to get approved by the state.”
In a follow-up press release, CEO Rickert didn’t say exactly when the funding-allocation talks will resume, only saying: “Further deliberations and funding decisions for the approved projects will be pursued in upcoming board meetings.”
Breakdown of proposals
Here are the groups the board chose for further consideration:
• Shasta County Substance Use Coalition
• Shasta County Sheriff’s Office
• Shasta College
• River Recovery Services
• Shasta County Public Defender
• Visions Of the Cross
• Shasta County Veterans Services Office
• Coordinated Youth Prevention Program (two groups combined)
• Mayers Memorial Hospital
• Shasta County Probation
• Renewed Life Medical Group
• Results Media
• Empire Recovery Center
• Hill Country Community Clinic
The board passed on proposals from Shasta County Chemical People, The Manor’s transitional housing program, a Shasta General Mental Health and Drug Rehab Center proposed by Dr. Paul Dhanuka and horse therapy by the Roughout Ranch Foundation.
Shasta County Substance Use Coalition
Shauna Stratton of the Shasta County Public Health Department describes a Naloxone vending-machine proposal during the Board of Supervisors special meeting on Nov. 12, 2024. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Shauna Stratton of the Shasta County Public Health Department proposed buying vending machines to dispense the nasal spray Naloxone (brand name of Narcan) for free. The Naloxone spray is an emergency treatment to resuscitate people overdosing on opioids, especially fentanyl, to keep them from dying.
A vending machine that offers Naloxone sits in a corner of the Redding Rancheria’s Churn Creek Healthcare Clinic in Redding. Shasta County is considering the placement of similar vending machines around the county to dispense free Naloxone, a life-saving nasal spray that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses.
People would get Naloxone and have it handy, keeping it either in their home, purse or car.
A package of Narcan, a brand name for Naloxone, is ready to be dispensed from a vending machine at the Redding Rancheria’s Churn Creek Healthcare Clinic in Redding. Shasta County is considering the placement of similar vending machines around the county to distribute free Naloxone, a life-saving nasal spray that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses.
Stratton, who’s in charge of distributing the kits for the county, suggested allocating $161,700 to the Shasta Substance Use Coalition so it could be in charge of filling the machines for three years. A media campaign would publicize the locations.
“I do feel that this is absolutely worth the money,” Stratton said.
The county already gets Naloxone for free from the California Department of Health Care Services. The vending machines would be placed in at least six locations: the Shasta Community Health Centers in Anderson, Shasta Lake and downtown Redding, the Shingletown Medical Center, the Hill Country Community Clinic in Round Mountain and the Shasta County Jail lobby. Supervisor Rickert asked to include one at Mayers Memorial Hospital.
“It’s very cost effective when you think about the lives that will be saved. One vending machine can reverse anywhere from 41 to 78 overdoses in the first year,” Stratton said.
She said the machines also could be used for other purposes. For example they could dispense free bottles of water in situations when residents in outlying areas are fleeing a fire.
Crye didn’t support the proposal, saying that although he didn’t think it was a bad thing but that the Naloxone could be distributed it cheaper.
Shasta County Sheriff’s Office
Shasta County Sheriff Mike Johnson. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Sheriff Michael Johnson proposed remodeling the former Department 2 courtroom so the jail could greatly expand its medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program for incarcerated opioid users.
The sheriff’s presentation revealed the staggering number of opioid-using inmates who arrive at the jail. Right now the jail averages 10 inmates in the MAT program, but a full program could treat between 30 percent to 40 percent of the jail population, which averages between 380 to 415 people daily. He estimated between 114 to 166 inmates could get daily treatment.
“That type of program I think could have a tremendous impact on the community,” Johnson said.
The upfront cost to remodel the former Superior Court room would be about $35,000. The MAT program could cost between $741,000 to $1.6 million annually depending on its size.
Shasta College
Shasta College Superintendent-President Frank Nigro. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Shasta College President Frank Nigro asked for $4.3 million over six years with a $1.5 million college match.
Nigro said the college already partners with almost everyone who gave presentations.
“We have programs that serve our vulnerable populations, programs that promote drug awareness and programs that focus on job training for those who are trying to get their life back in order,” Nigro said.
He said the college offers alcohol and drug studies along with the Step-Up job-training program for formerly jailed inmates plus others. He said the college would like to enlarge its partnership with high schools to focus on substance abuse awareness and prevention.
River Recovery Services
Kim McKinney Tighe of River Recovery Services. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Program Director Kim McKinney Tighe of River Recovery Services said she’s been treating addiction in Shasta County for 23 years, with 28 years of personal recovery.
“Our mission is pretty simple. We want to collaborate with agencies in Shasta County to deliver essential and supportive services and really bridge gaps to ensure continuous and robust recovery for our most vulnerable community members,” Tighe said.
One unique service is doing family interventions to help addicts.
“We’ll go into homes, we’ll go into hospitals bedside, we’ll go into the jails with family. We’ll go anywhere that we need to go to get family members and bring them into treatment,” she said. “There’s nothing more powerful than the love of family.”
“We cannot sit in our offices anymore and wait for people to come, because they just don’t come. They’re dying on the streets of Shasta County and we want to partner with families to go get them,” Tighe said.
Her total request was $384,000.
Shasta County Public Defender
Shasta County Public Defender Ashley Jones. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Shasta County Public Defender Ashley Jones asked for a fourth social worker position to focus on placing criminal defendants into substance abuse and mental health treatment programs. The request includes a car for the new worker.
The annual social worker cost for salary and benefits would be $128,000, with a one-time vehicle cost of $30,000.
Jones said the cost to house an inmate in the jail is over $161 a day based on previous but now outdated figures. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the office had 44 public defender clients who completed over 6,000 days of residential treatment. That freed up jail space for other offenders and reduced overall county incarceration costs.
Also sought was $1,500 annually to pay for medications required by people released from custody.
“We need to make sure they have the medications they need, particularly mental health medications, so that we can set them up for the best chance of success in their long-term recoveries,” Jones said.
Visions Of the Cross
Tianna Lucarelli. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Tianna Lucarelli of Visions of the Cross talked about its recovery expansion project.
Visions of the Cross has been in the community since 2001 to provide substance use treatment, transitional housing and outpatient services.
Lucarelli said the center helps more than 900 people a year. They’ve had over 567 babies born to clean and sober mothers.
“We want to minimize the wait list and access to care,” she said.
They have a 32-bed residential-treatment facility for women and 30 beds for men. Visions also offers sober-living services with more beds. It has eight bedrooms to accommodate parents with children.
Vision wants to expand the number of beds to 30 for men and 30 for women on the same property for a 2026 groundbreaking.
Their recovery campus budget is about $19.1 million, with Visions already spending about $776,000. It needs about $1.9 million in matching funds by March 2025 to be eligible for a grant.
Shasta County Veterans Services Office
Troy Payne. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Veterans Service Officer Troy Payne described a plan for a local counselor trained in post-traumatic stress and substance use disorders because the Veterans Administration can’t handle the existing caseload.
Payne said many veterans have substance abuse disorders, most brought on by PTSD, and deal with chronic pain.
“The military teaches us to be warriors however it does not teach us not to,” Payne said. “A lot of veterans go untreated due to the stigma that is out there for behavioral health and looking for treatment, because once again, they’re trained to be strong, they’re trained to be warriors, they’re not trained to complain about their problems.”
The need is great, Payne said, because the Veterans Administration has three in-person providers and one tele-health provider to serve approximately 20,000 veterans in Shasta, Tehama, Trinity and Siskiyou counties.
“Our veterans in the rural area are not getting the care they need,” he said.
The office counselor position Payne was requesting would cost $106,000 annually with $20,000 in supplies and operating expenses.
Coordinated Youth Prevention Program
Raising Shasta executive director Jenna Berry with Sgt. Jake Duncan of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Board chairman Crye grouped Youth Options Shasta and the Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council (Raising Shasta) together with Columbia School District Superintendent Clay Ross and Amanda Faith to collaborate with other youth-focused agencies.
Presenters Jenna Berry of Raising Shasta and Sgt. Jake Duncan of the Sheriff’s Office promoted the Shasta County Police Athletic League youth boxing program to take kids off the street.
Faith has been involved in opioid-fighting efforts ever since her 13-year-old son, Luca, died of fentanyl poisoning four years ago after taking a counterfeit Percocet that he got from a dealer on Snapchat.
Crye said he wasn’t impressed with the Shasta County Office of Education asking for 10 percent of the funds, opting instead for the youth prevention program collaboration he created on the fly.
“If we can stop these kids from getting addicted then we’re winning the battle right there,” Garman said. “I urge you to come up with a plan to help us get to the kids at a younger age.”
Mayers Memorial Hospital
Marrisa Martin, executive director of the Tri County Community Network in eastern Shasta County. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Marrisa Martin, executive director of the nonprofit Tri County Community Network, described the new Mindful Connections program whose goals are to reduce both opioid use and substance use disorders in eastern Shasta County.
In January, the network partnered with the Mayers Memorial Health Care District.
“We have higher rates of opioid use, substance abuse disorders, incarceration and household mental illness,” she said.
Funds would promote a youth-led coalition to create an opioid-prevention campaign, expand high school peer-to-peer counseling and also reach middle schoolers.
The five-year project total amounts to $630,000 before becoming self-sufficient.
Shasta County Probation
Shasta County Chief Probation Officer Tracie Neal. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Shasta County Chief Probation Officer Tracie Neal asked to pay treatment providers in her juvenile facilities at an annual cost of $255,000.
Opioid funds would replace general-fund money for savings to the county. Neal also asked for a body-security scanner at juvenile hall. The machine would scan youths entering the hall to detect hidden contraband such as fentanyl. The cost and set-up services would be $190,000.
Renewed Life Medical Group
Dr. Mercedes Patee of the Renewed Life Medical Group. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Dr. Mercedes Patee, owner and CEO of Renewed Life Medical Group, described her services as a medically-assisted outpatient treatment program in Redding.
One part of her proposal is a 24-hour medical detox center with 16 beds. Participants would either walk in, come from the jail or be brought there by emergency medical services and law enforcement.
“Currently there is no place locally that offers that. I know it’s a great need,” Patee said. “The hospitals do what they can. I’m an emergency medicine physician and I understand the limitations in the ER. This is a great support to our hospital systems.”
A short-term psychiatric unit would have additional beds for immediate treatment.
The multimillion-dollar project would involve acquiring land for a building using grant funds. About $3.75 million in matching funds would be needed.
Patee’s project seemed to impress the board. She said she’s in talks with UC Davis to bring in addiction medicine specialists and a fellowship program.
Patee said she’s open to collaborating with other local providers. She needs to submit a grant application in December and would need a letter of support from the county.
Results Media
. Beth Tappan of Results Media Solutions. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Beth Tappan is market manager at Results Media Solution, best known as Results Radio.
She proposed a media campaign to prevent opioid use using five local radio stations along with TikTok, YouTube and digital advertising. She would start a six-month media campaign to educate listeners on dangers of opioid addiction and how to prevent opioid misuse.
The campaign would publicize the presenters’ programs. Cost would be $3,000 per station for $9,000 a month.
Empire Recovery Center
Art Sevilla of the Empire Recovery Center. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Empire Recovery Center Executive Director Art Sevilla sought funds to upgrade from a social model to a clinical model. Empire now offers residential treatment services and an outpatient facility. In the future, he hopes to offer sober living arrangements.
He asked for $1 million a year for two years for a medical-withdrawal management program.
Hill Country Community Clinic
Carrie Guilfoyle of the Hill Country Community Clinic. Photo by Mike Chapman.
Carrie Guilfoyle, interim chief medical officer at Hill Country Community Clinic, proposed an expansion of their substance use disorder treatment infrastructure as part of a four-part plan.
A major need is replacing Hill Country’s outdated electronic health record system, at a cost of about $2.85 million. Drug-prevention services and early intervention programs would serve youths in eastern Shasta County.
Call for prevention
Although Shasta County Chemical People wasn’t asked to return for consideration, executive director Betty Cunningham implored the board to set aside funds directed at young people.
“The most important thing … is this is about our kids. You have a huge responsibility with these dollars,” Cunningham said. “You have a huge opportunity as well. I urge you to earmark now a percentage of the settlement money to go into prevention,.
She asked the board to create a policy targeting young students.
“If you do not do it now, it will not happen,” Cunningham said. “Everyone agrees that substance abuse prevention is a primary tool to reduce substance use but nobody even wants to fund it.”
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