Press Release
March 12, 2024 (MINNEAPOLIS) – The City of Minneapolis is losing community members to the opioid epidemic at an alarming rate. To help combat this crisis, the City is expected to receive approximately $18M in opioid settlement funds over the next 18 years from national settlements reached with opioid distributors and manufacturers.
The City has awarded the first round of opioid settlement money to community-based, culturally specific organizations combating the opioid crisis, with a focus on underserved communities and youth.
The awardees of the Community Opioid Response & Engagement (CORE) funding will focus their work on treatment, long-term recovery, and prevention to reduce disparities in the number of overdose-related deaths and emergency room visits.
Awardees
The awardees represent the diverse needs of the Minneapolis population and will increase access to and options for opioid treatment. Their focus will carry out the outlined CORE funding goals.
Access Healing will receive $20,000: A significant portion of the funding will go towards establishing safer and more supportive culturally specific recovery housing facilities. Funding will also help expand wraparound services. Visit: https://accesshealingcenter.com/
Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) will receive $100,000: The program will focus on serving Latino youth and their families. They have outpatient chemical health practitioners, and therapists and provide both substance use and mental health services. Visit: https://clues.org/
Generation Hope will receive $78,844: The work is focused on addressing addiction, mental health, and the associated stigma within the East African community, with a strong emphasis on empowering individuals in recovery through workforce development. Visit: https://www.generationhopemn.org/about-us/
Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (GMCC) will receive $100,000: The project will launch new services to meet culturally specific needs. GMCC will launch a mother-led support network and Nar-Anon program. Visit: https://gmcc.org/
Minnesota Somali Community Center will receive $74,994: The project will be located in a dedicated medical office suite within the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. This location ensures easy access for the East African community, reducing barriers to treatment. Visit: https://mnsomalicommunitycenter.org/
Opioid Statistics
- In 2022, there were 1,002 opioid-related deaths in Minnesota
- 244 of those deaths were in Minneapolis (24%)
- Minneapolis opioid deaths from 2021 to 2022 increased by 24.8 percent
- Minneapolis represents about 7% of the state’s population, but it accounts for 24% of all opioid-related deaths
- Fentanyl is the most common opioid being abused in our city. It’s a synthetic opioid approved for treating pain. It can be:
- Up to 50 times stronger than heroin
- 100 times stronger than morphine
- The rate of opioid deaths among Native Americans is 30 to one compared to white people
- The rate of opioid deaths among African Americans is four times higher
Opioid resource page: https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/departments/health/current-concerns/opioids/
For more information contact: Scott Wasserman at 612-477-4450.
