The City of Henderson continues to accept applications for membership on the Opioid Settlement Advisory Board. The original deadline to submit applications had been July 31, and Interim City Manager Kendrick Vann shared seven applications with City Council at the August meeting for the 8-member board.
But some Council members expressed concern at that Aug. 10 meeting about not having representation from each of the city’s four wards, so Vann and staff set about amending the CAF to include wording that says two advisory board members would be selected from each ward.
It was originally stated that prospective advisory board members include individuals with professional backgrounds in drug addiction/treatment, health care and mental health and public health fields.
Council member Geraldine Champion said there should be a representative from each of the city’s four wards and also said she’d like to see individuals with “life experience” with overcoming opioid use.
Mayor Melissa Elliott agreed. “I think it’s imperative that we have at least one person on that board who has overcome” opioid addiction.
The council tabled a vote on individual applicants because they didn’t know which wards some of them live in. One applicant lives in the county.
Vann said the call for advisory board members would go back out into the community; the wording of the CAF will need to be changed to reflect the council’s desire to have balanced ward representation, since that was not originally specified.
The City Council approved the change to the CAF as part of its emergency called meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The deadline to apply is Mon, Aug 24 at 5 p.m. Submit your application to Tracey Kimbrell by email or give her a call at 252.430.5705. traceykimbrell@henderson.nc.gov. For more information, contact Brandi Dukes at 252.430.5702 or email brandidukes@henderson.nc.gov
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