Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
The Behavioral Health Division (BHD) of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is the Single State Authority for innovative behavioral health policy and program development. Together with experienced, compassionate, and dedicated community partners, BHD focuses on comprehensive treatment and sustainable recovery for opioid use disorder and substance use disorders, and the co-occurring symptoms of mental illness typical for these disorders. In our state, comprehensive treatment services are person-centered, culturally responsive, and linguistically adequate prevention, intervention, treatment, and short-term and long-term recovery services with sustainable positive outcomes for individuals who suffer from Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Minnesota will continue to fight the opioid crisis in our state, and with the tools and funding available to us. Person-centered, culturally responsive, linguistically adequate, evidence-based treatment and recovery services for OUD and SUD is the best approach for our diverse populations of need. Our lens is on health disparities and on health equity. In 2022, the most recent year for which comparable data is available, the drug overdose mortality rate disparities in Minnesota have worsened, especially for American Indians. The 2022 rates are 257.7 per 100,000 residents for American Indians; and 79.2 per 100,000 residents for African Americans. The rate for Whites is 16.6 per 100,000 residents. In Minnesota, an estimated 10,522 individuals have been experiencing homelessness. While all causes of death have been found more common among those experiencing homelessness than the general Minnesota population, deaths from substance use are 10 times higher among people experiencing homelessness than the general population in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Human Services acknowledges the continued need to provide an immediate and effective OUD response to the following populations of need: Black Minnesotans; American Indians; and individuals who are hard to reach, such as those living in rural Minnesota, pregnant and parenting women, individuals who are experiencing homelessness, veterans, and individuals belonging to other communities of color. The FY2024 Minnesota Opioid Response Grant project will serve 900 unduplicated individuals with OUD, 250 in the first year of the funding, 300 in the second year of funding, and 350 in the third year of the funding. Some prevention services include: school-based prevention; Naloxone distribution and training; and evidence-based public awareness messaging. Some treatment services include the following: opioid prescribing and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) services in the Healthcare System and for those experiencing homelessness, MOUD for American Indian Tribes and American Indians in urban areas in Minnesota, including access to treatment for culturally responsive programming; and expanded treatment and recovery support services for justice involved individuals and adolescents.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
