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Akron Council to Vote on Cheaper Contract with Oriana House

(Shutterstock)

by M.L. Schultze, WKSU

Akron City Council votes Monday night on a new, $5 million dollar contract with Oriana House for those sentenced to substance abuse treatment.  It covers people sentenced to substance abuse treatment through Akron Municipal Court. 

The new, 20-month deal is about half a million dollars less than the city had been paying.   The adjustment comes after a review of Oriana House by the city, Summit County and the county's Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board prompted by concerns about drug use and overdoses by people enrolled in the program.

Deputy Mayor James Hardy told a council committee last week the city will save money primarily because Oriana House will no longer be allowed to charge an a la carte fee for drug tests and other specialized services. 

"This is an improvement from the city side of things from the way we've done it in the past. So we're in line with the county, we've gone through a clean auditing process, we've had a good dialogue with Oriana House about the concerns that were raised previously," he said.

Council members say the private, nonprofit agency has been responsive and continues to have a strong reputation in the treatment community.