‘Maybe we can take another shot’ – Mayor E.L. Morton

The following is an email sent Monday afternoon by Morton

All Concerned,
At the request of multiple Commissioners who have expressed a willingness to take action against the opioid crisis, I retract the statement below.

   The statement the mayor is referencing is this email he sent on April 17 to CHET CEO Teresa Dabney.

Mrs. Dabney,
Per legal opinion today, our Commission (save 6: Bruce, F. Baird, Weldon, C. Baird, with Jennings/Higginbotham both absent), chose to take no action against the opioid crisis. Thank you for what you do for our 
Drug Court.

E.L. Morton

   I ask Commissioners to take action on the opioid crisis in our May meeting with funds from the delinquent tax property auction I conducted this year.

   Morton tells WLAF, “So maybe we can take another shot at action against the opioid crisis in May.”
Our Drug Recovery Court is the single tool at Commission disposal to reduce the addicted cycling/recycling our jail, reduce healthcare cost over runs and to reduce the theft, child/elder/spouse abuse, assault, growing crime rate and fear that maligns our Citizens today.
Thank you for supporting the law suit against pharma companies. We have the opportunity to take our own action though, with our resources and I ask you to consider, propose and present your thoughts and ideas to fight the opioid crisis.
On a final note; Debra Verna, who spoke to you last Monday (04/16), stated after the County Health Council last Tuesday that she had recently hired a Nurse Practitioner. She said she found candidates working for $65K per year and ended up paying a Practitioner $105K to work in a 
Knoxville office.
CHET’s offer to match us 50/50 to hire a Nurse Practitioner at $90K is a much lower salary than Debra achieved. CHET has $7M in the bank, and it is a testimony to fund raising and solvency since Judge Jack Roy Alexander was in office decades ago. These are the funds CHET offered as match, health care benefits, medical supplies, on-going training and travel funding. Solvency is good for 
Campbell County people and a reason to partner with CHET to increase candidates and graduates in our recovery court.
Respectfully,
E.L. Morton
Mayor
Campbell County (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 04/24/2018-6AM)