LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office is seeking $398,094 through an FY26 Performance Incentive Grant to continue its jail-based Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) program. If awarded, the funding would support the continued employment of two registered nurses and two peer recovery specialists, as well as cover medication expenses—services currently not supported by recurring county funds.
Without long-term funding in place, the Sheriff’s Office is pursuing grant opportunities to maintain the program. “It’s proven that with people on medicated assisted treatment or medication for opioid use disorder, when they’re released from incarceration, their chances of overdosing once they’re released greatly [are] reduced,” one representative stated during the hearing.
The grant does not require a local match, meaning St. Mary’s County would not be responsible for providing direct funding. While past legislative proposals to secure ongoing state-level support were unsuccessful, the Sheriff’s Office indicated it plans to continue exploring additional grant opportunities.
“[We] will continue to seek other grants to assist in covering the full cost of the jail-based programs to meet the tenets of Maryland law,” another representative said.
If awarded, the funding would be added to the FY26 budget through a formal amendment. The initiative is part of the county’s broader efforts to offer treatment-based alternatives within the corrections system. This marks the second time since early March that funding for substance use treatment programs operated by the Sheriff’s Office has faced limitations.
During that meeting, some officials had expressed optimism about proposed legislation in the Maryland Senate aimed at supporting county-level treatment programs. However, it was confirmed at the April meeting of the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County that Senate Bill 942 did not advance beyond committee.
Maryland is currently addressing a projected $3 billion budget deficit for FY2025. Gov. Wes Moore has proposed approximately $2.3 billion in budget reductions to address the shortfall, prompting discussions among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Officials in St. Mary’s County noted that while the proposed grant would represent a small portion of the state’s overall budget—approximately 0.0006%—it could help sustain services for inmates receiving care. As of Feb. 25, 2025, 188 of the 257 inmates at the St. Mary’s County Jail were reported to have mental health concerns, with 31% classified as unstable.
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