Commissioners approve Community Correction's request to participate in grant program with Beacon

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 2:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

The Marshall County Community Corrections program was granted approval to participate in the Supported and Safe Program grant through Beacon Health Systems.

Director Beau Holcomb told the county commissioners that Contingency Management is an effective evidence-based form of treatment for substance use disorders, most specifically psychostimulant substance use disorders, those who were addicted to cocaine and meth.

Holcomb said the Supported and Safe program aims to offer and improve the quality of life for individuals struggling with stimulants. Marshall County Community Corrections will use the grant to incentivize participants to engage with support services by attending classes, actively participating in classes, and completing the program.

Holcomb said the grant would purchase gift cards and supply Community Corrections with the gift cards to use as incentives for their clients. He gave an example, “Transportation is an issue for many of their clients so we could provide ride vouchers to allow clients to attend meetings, counseling, and trips to the Community Corrections office.”

The incentives may be used with a maximum value of $15 per contingency, and each client may not receive more than $75 in total per year of treatment.

Holcomb said if they are allowed to participate he will be required to track and monitor the incentives using the cloud-based case management software Apricot.

The county commissioners unanimously approved Holcomb’s request to participate in the grant program.