Memorandum
Date: November 3, 2026
To: The Honorable Brad Rasmussen, Chair, Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Elise Jones, Director of Behavioral Health Services
Subject: Approve Memorandum of Understanding between Lake County Behavioral Health Services and Lake County Health Services Department, Public Health Division, for SafeRx Coordination Services funded through Opioid Settlement Funds for Fiscal Years 2026-27 and 2027-28, in an amount not to exceed $160,000, and authorize the Chair of the Board to sign
Executive Summary:
Lake County Behavioral Health Services (LCBHS) is requesting approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lake County Health Services Department, Public Health Division (LCHSD), to support continued coordination of the SafeRx coalition and related opioid prevention, outreach, education, harm reduction, treatment-access, and community engagement activities.
Under the MOU, LCHSD will designate staff to serve as the SafeRx Coordinator. The SafeRx Coordinator will facilitate coalition meetings and workgroups; engage healthcare providers, behavioral health partners, public safety agencies, schools, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders; coordinate community education, prevention, and outreach activities; support County-approved opioid remediation strategies; and collect and report program and outcome data. LCHSD will also submit an annual SafeRx work plan and proposed performance measures for LCBHS approval and provide quarterly activity, performance, and expenditure reports.
The MOU is funded through Opioid Settlement Funds (OSF). Funding will be provided through an advance interdepartmental transfer based on an annual line-item budget approved by LCBHS and shall not exceed $80,000 per fiscal year or $160,000 for the full two-year term. LCHSD will be required to complete a final fiscal reconciliation within sixty (60) calendar days following the close of each fiscal year, and any unspent, unsupported, unallowable, or disallowed expenditures must be returned to LCBHS or appropriately reclassified. The MOU also requires expenditures to be used solely for allowable, County-approved opioid remediation purposes and includes applicable accounting, reporting, audit, record-retention, and repayment requirements.
The SafeRx Coordinator position supports County-approved opioid remediation activities that align with Exhibit E of the National Opioid Settlement Agreements, including Schedule A, Core Strategies, and Schedule B, Approved Uses. The MOU’s scope includes opioid misuse and overdose prevention, community education, stigma reduction, harm reduction, and coordination with treatment and recovery partners. The Coordinator provides organizational support to the SafeRx coalition by facilitating meetings and workgroups, sharing information and meeting materials, engaging community partners, and monitoring progress toward shared opioid remediation objectives.
This coordination strengthens collaboration among healthcare providers, behavioral health partners, public safety agencies, schools, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders. It supports partners in identifying service gaps, coordinating outreach and education, improving connections to treatment and recovery resources, and advancing County-approved strategies. These functions align with Schedule B provisions supporting coalition engagement in treatment and recovery, connections to care, and collaborative leadership, planning, and coordination of opioid remediation efforts.
Through the annual SafeRx work plan approved by LCBHS, the position may also support California’s High Impact Abatement Activities (HIAA), including efforts to expand naloxone access, prevent drug addiction among vulnerable youth, and address the needs of communities of color and vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted by substance use disorders. Specific activities, deliverables, and performance measures will be established in the approved work plan. Whether particular expenditures qualify as HIAA will depend on the activities performed and supporting documentation. The MOU requires activity, performance, and expenditure reporting sufficient to support applicable County and State Opioid Settlement Fund requirements.
The term of the MOU is July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028. The July 1, 2026 effective date is retroactive to allow reasonable, necessary, adequately supported, and otherwise allowable SafeRx activities incurred at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2026-27 to be funded while the MOU completed the County review and approval process.
There is no additional impact to the County General Fund. Funding for Fiscal Year 2026-27 is included in the applicable LCBHS Opioid Settlement Fund appropriation. Funding under the MOU is limited to Opioid Settlement Funds and is contingent upon the continued availability and appropriation of those funds for the applicable fiscal year.
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Recommended Action: Approve Memorandum of Understanding between Lake County Behavioral Health Services and Lake County Health Services Department, Public Health Division, for SafeRx Coordination Services funded through Opioid Settlement Funds for Fiscal Years 2026-27 and 2027-28, in an amount not to exceed $160,000, and authorize the Chair of the Board to sign.