Over $5 million to help in fight against opioid addiction

As opioids continue to devastate people and families across Minnesota, a new set of state grants focuses on the communities bearing the greatest burdens of the crisis.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is awarding $5.7 million to 12 grantees to expand the services available to support people suffering from opioid use disorder and make it easier to get help. Almost all the funding is going to organizations primarily serving Native communities, Black communities and communities of color disproportionately impacted by the opioid epidemic.

The new investments will address gaps in Minnesota’s continuum of care for Native people and people of color with opioid use disorder, and help inform future changes to better serve all Minnesotans. Organizations receiving grants serve the Twin Cities metropolitan area, greater Minnesota and Tribal Nations, while others provide services statewide.

More and more Minnesotans are losing their lives to opioid use disorder. The number of opioid-involved deaths in Minnesota reached 924 in 2021, up from 343 in 2018. American Indians and Black Minnesotans are experiencing the opioid epidemic more severely. American Indians are seven times more likely to die from a drug overdose than white Minnesotans, while Black Minnesotans are twice as likely to die from a drug overdose.

“Minnesota cannot and will not accept this continued pain and heartbreak for families and communities,” said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “With this funding, our partners can save lives now and in the years to come through a range of programs that are person-centered, trauma-informed and culturally responsive.”

The new grants will support culturally specific practices, including primary prevention and overdose prevention, workforce development and training, and expansion and enhancement of the continuum of care. The funding includes $1 million for services focused on the East African population.

Governor Tim Walz’s budget proposal to the 2023 Legislature includes a package of measures addressing the opioid epidemic. His recommendations, totaling $21.5 million over four years, include stronger representation of disproportionately impacted communities on the state Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council, ongoing funding for traditional healing and overdose prevention grants, and more education for opioid treatment professionals.

The current awards are the second set of grants recommended by the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council, after an earlier round totaling approximately $5 million in 2022.

“I’m proud of the work we have been focused on over the past three years. Providing over $10 million to tackle many different objectives across the state is what we have worked for,” said Rep. Dave Baker, R-Willmar, the council’s chair. “Our needs are endless, but we must deploy resources and help support families facing this deadly crisis.”

The council selected the current grantees after extensive review, with a focus on increasing access to treatment, reducing opioid overdose-related deaths, and addressing unmet needs for prevention, treatment and recovery services. The Department of Human Services and the council requested proposals in April 2022.

“Hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear of a death or overdose attributed to this heartbreaking horror,” said Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, who serves on the council. “Minnesota must dedicate every resource available to deal with this opioid epidemic and look at addiction more broadly. How would we not just stop the current epidemic, but prevent the next crisis? This is our mission.”

In the coming months, the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council will announce additional funding recommendations and begin soliciting proposals for new funding.

For more information, visit the links below:

• Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council grantees for Fiscal Year 2023 (PDF)

• For information on the earlier grants, read the 2022 legislative report (PDF) from the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council

• Learn more about the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council and Minnesota’s fight against opioid addiction at gov/dhs/opioids

• If you or someone you know is suffering from opioid use disorder, know that help is available. Visit knowthedangers.com/treatment-and-recovery to learn about treatment options, or knowthedangers.com/naloxone-finder to find naloxone near you.