Board approves letter committing county opioid settlement funds as match for Vital Strategies grant

The Dunn County Health and Human Services Committee on June 26 approved a letter committing a portion of the county’s opioid settlement dollars to match a grant application from Vital Strategies, a public‑health funder, to support harm‑reduction services and programs for people living with substance use disorder.

The commitment is intended to leverage Vital Strategies’ matching funds to expand locally driven harm‑reduction initiatives, early recovery supports and services for people with co‑occurring mental‑health conditions, health department staff told the board.

Public‑health staffer KT outlined that Vital Strategies requires a formal letter of commitment from the governing board as part of the application. The draft letter in the meeting packet pledged that, if the grant is awarded, the county would earmark a portion of local opioid settlement funds as the required match and would incorporate any ongoing commitments into the 2026 county budget. KT said the proposed items in the packet were focused on harm‑reduction activities and services for people in early recovery.

Board members voted to approve the letter. Supervisor Breslin moved to approve the letter and Mr. Grama seconded; the motion carried without recorded opposition. KT said the application had not yet been submitted and the draft budget in the packet remained open to revision; Dr. Hall pointed out a typographical error in the budget table (an item labeled for marketing and promotions repeated under supplies) that staff said they would fix prior to submission.

KT and Paula said they would, if funded, include the local match amounts in next year’s budget and carry out the funded activities in coordination with the county’s opioid settlement oversight group. The committee’s approval authorized the chair or staff to sign the commitment letter and forward it with the application.