Controller to examine programs serving those struggling with drug, mental health issues

Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor is calling for increased accountability in the Department of Human Services, where funding for mental health and drug services has been used to boost programs for the unhoused  

O’Connor said today that his office will audit mental health and drug and alcohol services within DHS’s Office of Behavioral Health.  

“It’s about supporting marginalized communities with the services they need,” O’Connor said.  

The department said they would work with O’Connor.

“DHS looks forward to again working with the Office of the Controller as it evaluates the County’s Behavioral Health Services,” said Mark Bertolet, communications manager for DHS. “We will grant full cooperation to the Office of the Controller and will make available any records, documents, or information in accordance with their request.”

This audit comes next in a line of quality-of-life audits O’Connor’s office has conducted. In September, O’Connor released an audit on DHS’s homelessness services. While the report showed several areas for improvement, it also pointed to potential underfunding in the Office of Behavioral Health.  

In the September audit, O’Connor’s office determined that nearly $10 million in state funding was being diverted from behavioral health programs to fund homelessness services, he said on Tuesday.  

Now, O’Connor wants to see what services could be lacking and/or underfunded, he said.  

“The range of critical needs of our most vulnerable residents must be addressed as effectively as possible with the resources we have,” O’Connor said.  

One of the targets of the audit is the effectiveness of the department’s drug and alcohol programs, O’Connor spokesperson Louis Takacs said.  

Last summer, the county announced the creation of free naloxone vending machines throughout the region. While local substance use rehabilitation centers praised the initiative, the program has struggled to get off the ground.  

The county health department in August rolled out a plan for seven vending machines holding Narcan, a brand of naloxone, throughout the county, starting with three. However, two of the initial three are no longer operational.  

The first machine was placed at JADE Wellness in the South Side, but according to JADE co-founder Alex Perla, it broke within a week of its installation. The county replaced the broken machine soon after, but the replacement also broke, he said. There are plans to place medicine cabinet-style dispensers containing naloxone at the University of Pittsburgh and Chatham.

O’Connor said he is uncertain when the audit will be completed.

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Colleen Hammond is a reporter at Next Generation Newsroom, part of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. Colleen previously worked as a breaking news reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., where she helmed coverage on gun violence, public safety, criminal courts and juvenile justice. Reach her at colleen.hammond@pointpark.edu.

‍NGN is a regional news service that focuses on government and enterprise reporting in Southwestern Pennsylvania.  Find out more information on foundation and corporate funders here.  

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Header image: A vending machine containing Narcan outside of the Tree of Life Open Bible Church in Brookline, PA on Oct. 23, 2024. Allegheny County Health Department provided the machine and medication as part of an initiative to make the overdose drug more widely available to the public. Kalliyan Winder / NGN News Service