County plans for $1.4M opioid settlement
As Steele County begins to collect its share of a nationwide settlement with opioid manufacturers, officials are looking at how they might use the $1.4 million.
Based on a report delivered last week by Public Health staff, they won’t have any shortage of ideas.
The county has already received $178,291.30 since the fall of 2022. Settlement funds from John & Johnson and distributors will eventually total $816,786.49, with a second wave of settlements expected to bring in $667,187.08.
Public Health Project Coordinator Maddie Hessian shared the local impacts of opioid dependency, with data collected through the Minnesota Student Survey (MSS), death certificates, and emergency room records.
Hessian joined the staff in January through AmeriCorps, a national service program for Americans between the ages of 18 and 26.
One data point startled officials: In their anonymous MSS responses, 10% of Steele County 8th graders reported misusing opioids, nearly double the percentage in 2019.
“That’s a pretty jarring statistic,” Hessian agreed.
South Central Drug Task Force also reported a large jump in prescription drug seizures, up from 30 in 2018 to 470 in 2019. Heroin seizures rose from 342 to 739 during the same time, Hessian said.
Emergency room visits related to opioid overdoses have also increased since 2016, though the number of prescriptions written annually is stable and on par with other parts of the state.
The county typically sees only a handful of drug overdose deaths; numbers are down from 5 in 2013 to 2-3 over the past three years. Non-fatal overdoses hit a high of 13 in 2020 and dropped to 10 last year, which is in line with the 8-10 overdoses annually between 2016 and 2020.
Hessian said opioids were the most common cause of overdose deaths.
Shortfalls in the data, she explained, lie in the lack of information about fentanyl contamination and in overdoses not treated in emergency rooms.
Hessian said a state-local agreement restricts use of the settlement funds to supporting opioid disorder treatment; efforts to prevent over-prescribing opioids and stopping misuse; and evidence-based strategies that may include targeted distribution of Naloxone (used to treat overdoses), medication-assisted treatment (MAT), adding fentanyl to routine chemical screenings, clean syringe distribution programs, and peer-supported recovery.
A plan that would equip people released from prison with a supply of Naloxone had board chair Greg Krueger wondering, “Doesn’t that encourage them to think that it’s okay (to return to drug use)?”
“It really is trying to hit it from both ends,” Hessian said, considering the reality that “sometimes people fall through the cracks, no matter what we do. It’s really hard to wrap your head around, I know.”
Likewise, she said, the syringe distribution program–which comes with education–protects the community by reducing needle sharing and the diseases that can come with it.
“It also builds trust that can lead to drug treatment,” she added.
Rice County has a “robust infrastructure” around opioid abuse prevention and treatment, Hessian said. They have a jail-based program, “Take it to the Box” for safe disposal of unwanted medications, and a Mobile Opioid Support Team (MOST), that “meets people where they are”. MOST offers funding for emergency transportation and insurance support, free Naloxone and fentanyl test strips (with delivery), connections to county services and medication-assisted treatment doctors, as well as bilingual team members.
“This was all done prior to the settlement,” Hessian said.
A new Rice County initiative, “Project Cleanup,” includes several programs:
- Non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery
- Post-booking diversion to substance abuse treatment instead of jail, with social workers embedded in county law enforcement agencies
- Pre-treatment housing, which provides safe, supportive housing until in-patient space becomes available
- Post-treatment housing for participants leaving treatment
While it’s too early to tell how Rice County’s efforts are working, Hessian said, “their data is looking good.”
Steele County has in place three MAT providers, and law enforcement officers carry Naloxone. The county also has medication drop-off boxes at the Law Enforcement Center in Owatonna and Blooming Prairie City Hall.
Hessian said Owatonna Public Schools is developing a Naloxone policy for both the high school and middle school. While the drug is carried by first responders, most pharmacies require a prescription, with cost determined by insurance.
Opportunities to expand the county’s opioid response include expanding accessibility to MAT providers, especially to those in jail; creating rapid-response team and recruit peer recovery specialists; increase use of data; expand Take it to the Box, syringe distribution, and Naloxone distribution; and forming an Opioid Advisory Council.
Commissioners suggested recruiting for the council from many aspects of the community, and Hessian said suggested lists include local government, veterans services, community members, medical professionals, someone from the recovery community, and more.
“It’s gonna be a big circle,” Krueger said.
He also suggested working with the South Country Health Alliance and getting more partnerships going.
“There are things you can integrate with, without spending a lot of dollars,” he said.