Appointed Committees

COMMITTEE ON ADDICTION October 19, 2017 Page 1 Committee Members Present: Mayor Barney, Paul Stroklund, Patti Eisenzimmer, Jason Olson, Stephan Podrygula, Robert Barnard, Chris Ray, Lisa Clute, Steve Hall, Dennis Lindahl, Dr. Jeffrey Sather, Laurie Gotvaslee, Mark Vollmer, Connie Tyler, Val Potter Members Absent Shannon Straight Mayor Barney called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm. Welcome Mayor Barney welcomed some new members who were in attendance at the meeting. He then invited the audience to voice any concerns they wanted to discuss with the Committee. Nancy Bommelman said she looked at available land to build a treatment center, as well as hotels for sale to be used as a transition center. She explained, the windows would need to be replaced at the hotels but she was in contact with someone who would provide the work for free as long as someone paid for the windows. Sheriff Barnard then answered questions from a citizen in attendance, regarding the methadone program at Ward County Jail. He said, the program has been in place for about 8-10 months and the inmate must be medically cleared to participate. There is an application to fill out and the request goes to medical staff. The inmate then meets with a counselor. He added, they have run into issues where a person may convince the medical staff they need methadone in an attempt to get high. The resident responded by saying, her child was refused the methadone they needed while they were incarcerated. Sheriff Barnard said they could discuss the matter and he would look into it personally. Update on Grant Application Megan Laudenschlager explained the process for the Bush Foundation grant. The application will be reviewed over the next 60 days and they will determine whether or not to accept it. If it is accepted, there will be a site visit with members of the Bush Foundation and if it is not accepted, the grant process ends. She also described another grant opportunity for $80,000 which would be a great way to build some startup money to begin working with. She encouraged the Committee to follow a grant strategy to ensure there are not multiple proposals written to the same grant. She suggested the subcommittees determine their short term goals for the next few months and their long term goals for a continued strategy. Ward County Facility Sheriff Barnard explained that there are two paths when dealing with addiction, one for those in the criminal justice system and one for those who are not. He said, discussions with the state about addiction treatment started in 2013 but when the oil boom happened, it never got off the ground. His ultimate goal is to establish a treatment facility as an alternative to jail for many drug offenders. They would be able to undergo treatment and be released by a correctional officer once rehabilitated. He said, the entities interested in such a facility look to the Senators for funding. There are meetings set up to discuss the possibility of funding to be able to pay a professional treatment company to implement the facility. COMMITTEE ON ADDICTION October 19, 2017 Page 2 Power of the Purse The Mayor said, representatives from the Power of the Purse planned to attend the meeting but no one appeared on their behalf. It was explained that they are an organization who donates $1,000 to different organizations each year and they are interested in building a transitional living facility for women in Minot. Mayor Barney said, they currently have a facility in Bismarck that helps individuals who have undergone treatment. They are working on zoning issues with the Planning Department and hope to have more information on a Minot facility soon. Sub-Committee Chair Reports Education/Outreach Mr. Stroklund said the committee has been meeting the second and fourth Tuesday of each month and has put together a presentation to show to local service groups. The presentation gives an explanation of the Committee and the various sub-committees as well as statistics on addiction in Minot. The group has also been working on creating the brand, Help Heal Minot, by starting a Facebook page and website. They will be working with other organizations to print literature to distribute. Treatment & Family Services Laurie Gotvaslee said, the group has been looking at what Minot doesn’t have and what it needs and determined there should be a recovery community. Once someone goes back into their previous environment, they likely relapse so the group is looking for ideas for a longer term facility. Patti Eisenzimmer said the recovery community should include a sober living unit which will help the family while the person is going through treatment. Ms. Eisenzimmer also mentioned, there needs to be more publicity regarding what the committee is working on. The Mayor said he will work with the Public Information Officer to write an informational release. He added, there is representation at the meetings by the Minot Daily News but there has not been a TV presence. He is also meeting with the editorial staff of the Minot Daily News and can request they write a story. Ms. Eisenzimmer then mentioned the Magic City Recovery Mentor Pilot Program and provided a list of potential grants and what they could be used for during the upcoming year. It includes a possible recovery home, recovery mentor program, and opioid anonymous group. Connie Tyler, from Community Medical Services, described a program she worked with in Texas called the Samaritan Inn. It is composed of various units including, a homeless shelter, transitional housing, counseling, and educational and job training programs. Mayor Barney said, they will connect with the members of “Power of the Purse” to see how to work together. Aftercare Mark Vollmer said their group has been discussing a lot of issues to develop a full program but anticipate that it could be implemented one piece at a time. They talked extensively about a recovery center and how to develop a training center to keep individuals in the community and help them gain employment. He said, their plan includes a one stop shop for mental health, faith-based, and the medical community to collaborate to fight addiction. Health and Safety Lisa Clute said they have focused on disease prevention. Their discussions included implementing a COMMITTEE ON ADDICTION October 19, 2017 Page 3 syringe service program on which they are doing extensive research. They are developing strategies to deal with the issue of cycling out of the Emergency Room. They have also applied for Narcan grants, through First District Health Unit, in order to supply Narcan to 24/7 services and to families who may need it. The full committee then discussed setting a deadline for the sub-committee chairs to submit a comprehensive plan to formalize their recommendations. There has been some overlap of certain issues and it would be beneficial at this point to set up a plan. The sub-committee chairs will meet to develop a plan and individual reports will be due December 1st. Next Meeting and Adjournment The next meeting will be held Thursday, November 16th at 6:30 pm in the City Council Chambers and will focus on the status of the sub-committee reports. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:24 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Kelly Matalka City Clerk