A Minot sober living program and an expanded syringe service were among North Dakota Opioid Settlement Fund grant recipients announced by the North Dakota Health and Human Services Behavioral Health Division Friday.

Endeavor Sober Living will receive $535,000 to help establish a recovery house in Minot, specifically serving pregnant and parenting women.

First District Health Unit was awarded $66,681 to expand its Syringe Service Program in Minot, to help individuals with a substance use disorder connect to treatment and recovery services. The confidential program provides syringes/needles, supplies, disposal containers for syringes, naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses, HIV and hepatitis testing and education and training on drug overdose response, risk reduction and treatment among other services.

Sixty-five applications were received, requesting about $59 million, according to the department.

The OSF Grant is funded by the participation of North Dakota in the national opioid settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors.

“Over the next 18 years, North Dakota will receive approximately $60 million in opioid settlement funds,” said North Dakota Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller. “The state has an opportunity to ensure we invest in long-lasting improvements that increase access to addiction services and prevent deaths.”

During the 2023 legislative session, North Dakota lawmakers created the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee and appropriated $8 million from the Opioid Settlement Fund to HHS for the 2023-2025 biennium. At least 20% of these funds must be used for opioid use prevention and overdose prevention, including best practices relating to fentanyl drug overdose and behavioral health workforce development.

The recent grants included:

– Central Valley Health District, $37,409 to develop a Syringe Service Program in Jamestown.

– Community Connect Providers, $3.9 million to expand access to a community-based behavioral health program.

– Community Medical Services, $452,389 to support the Opioid Treatment Program in Grand Forks.

– Heartview Foundation, $426,527 to establish medications for opioid use disorder services in southwest North Dakota.

– Nelson-Griggs District Health Unit, $21,600 to implement a system to standardize patient screenings for opioid use disorder within local hospitals to increase access to treatment and recovery services.

– North Dakota State University Opioid and Naloxone Education (ONE) Program, $82,537.

– Northeast Central Judicial District Drug Court in Grand Forks/Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, $51,000.

– Richland County Treatment Court, $134,000.

– Sanford Medical Center Fargo, $397,430 for medications for opioid use disorder education and awareness training to health care providers, expand Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and increase distribution of naloxone to uninsured patients.

– Training Academy of Addiction Professionals /Heartview Foundation, $613,002 for development of a behavioral health workforce.

– USpireND-Healthy Families North Dakota, $130,075 to provide home visits for parents who are incarcerated and pregnant, incarcerated and have given birth within the last year, who are in recovery or have not yet entered recovery.