City, county work to reduce opioid impacts

Olmsted County opioid settlement

Olmsted County opioid settlement

(ABC 6 News) – In Southeastern Minnesota, the City of Rochester and Olmsted County are joining forces to create change with nearly $2 million in opioid settlement money. It’s a three-prong approach, with Public Health tackling prevention and the Drug and Alcohol Response Team (DART) focusing on treatment and recovery.

Previous Story: Olmsted County unveils plans for spending opioid settlement funds – ABC 6 News – kaaltv.com

Every morning, the teams spring into action if there has been a reported overdose in the area. Then, support teams attempt to locate the victim and set them on a manageable path toward recovery.

So far, nearly 200 people have received assistance, with a third of those receiving direct treatment.

“We’re out there to try and reach some of those folks who maybe never had a chance before, or maybe it is their second, third, or fourth chance. It’s all good with us were going to help anybody who comes through the door and try and get them into recovery,” says Teri Dose, from the Drug and Alcohol Response Team (DART).

Previous Story: Olmsted County gets millions in opioid settlement – ABC 6 News – kaaltv.com

The county’s first initiative is a partnership with CredibleMind, creating a free online resource. So far, over 1,500 people have utilized its medically reviewed health topics in getting care assistance since its launch last December.

“CredibleMind also connects them to local resources here as well so they will be able to research the topic that they are looking for along with getting the local resource for more information. Getting information about the dart team is also included in CredibleMind. So it is also access to care,” explains Shaylene Baumbach the Health Promotion Manager with Olmsted County Public Health

Their next new initiative called “Be in the Know” will be launching this summer.