Clay County Commission
Dan Haglund
Since the massive federal opioid settlements began paying out nearly two years ago, Clay County has been putting its portion toward education, community outreach and harm reduction.
Annabel DuFault, Opioid Program manager for Clay County Public Health, gave an information-filled update presentation for the Clay County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
DuFault first began with a few program definitions.
Opioids are chemicals that interacts with receptors on nerve cells in the body and brain, reducing feeling and pain intensity. Common opioids include heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone and morphine, which are quite potent and can become quickly addicting.
And harm reduction with regard to these opioids includes an evidence-based approach on minimizing the serious negative consequences of substance abuse. Typical harm reduction approaches include Naloxone distribution, fentanyl test strips and syringe service programs.
Naloxone is the medicine that reverses an opioid overdose and is more typically known by the brand name Narcan, which comes in a nasal spray.
“With harm reduction, it’s really meeting people where they’re at,” DuFault said. With the understanding that everyone is not ready for treatment and we can’t force them to that stage of readiness, but we can try keep them safer.”
All of the work within this program is grant-funded from four main organizations. They are the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Community-Based Substance Misuse and Suicide Prevention Coalition ($500,000 over four years), MDH Drug Overdose Prevention ($200,000 over four years), F-M Area Foundation ($15,000 over two years) and MDH Cannabis and Other Substances Prevention ($130,000 over two years).
Clay County is also in the second year of 18 total years of federal opioid penalty settlements.
Clay County has received $1,338,474.74 to date, with $1 million of that already expensed toward the new Detox/Withdrawal Management Facility on 15th Avenue North in Moorhead, expanding the bed capacity from 16 to 32.
Future county disbursements over the next 16 years will total about $2.5 million.
“That number and that timeframe is a bit fluid because we are able to opt in to additional settlements as they become available,” DuFault said.
She says the program needs about $100,000 annually for staffing and program expenses costs.
“We estimate this just based on the different grant funding sources that we have right now,” DuFault said.
DuFault said one of the main components of her office’s mission to with community education. Overdose response trainings take place each month at the shelter, and there have been outside trainings as well at the jail and with treatment groups.
Since the program’s inception just over two years ago, DuFault said 871 individuals have been trained in this program.
Commissioner Jenny Mongeau, Dist. 3, voiced her full support of this program, and commended the board for its continuing concern and action on this issue.
“I am really excited about the work that Clay County Public Health has done with this board to address a lot of different areas with the opioid settlement dollars,” Mongeau said. “And the work that we’re doing with the treatment facility is just enormous.”
Commissioner Ezra Baer, Dist. 2, inquired if Clay County is utilizing the syringe service that has recently been highlighted in the news on the North Dakota side of the river. DuFault said this county does not offer that.
And Clay County’s portion of this settlement is just a small slice of the overall distribution.
Minnesota has secured over $633 million in federal opioid settlements to date, with an additional $59 million from the recent Purdue Pharma settlement awaiting final approval. These funds, paid by manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies, are distributed over many years and dedicated to addressing the opioid crisis through treatment, prevention, and harm reduction efforts.
The allocation of these funds distributes 75 percent of the funds to counties and cities, and 25 percent to the state.
The state portion comes from the $55 billion national opioid settlement in 2022, which were reached with defendants Janssen, Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Kroger Co., Purdue/Sacklers and generic manufacturers over varying amounts and timetables. Disbursements began early in 2024.