(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors Tuesday heard an update on the recently established drug court program. It’s being funded through the county’s share of settlement money from opioid lawsuits. The county is getting a little more than $208,000 through one of those and is projected to receive $200,000 to $300,000 through another. The program is intended to break the cycle of addiction. Referrals are received through the County Attorney’s Office, probation officers and treatment facilities.
Beth Will, Dickinson County General Relief Director, says the committee that’s overseeing the Drug Court program continues to identify needs for services…
“Some things that have come out in talking with our groups, whether that’s through the hospital group, through the public health, Board of Health Commission, behavior health, and so forth, we really have a gap in some identifying of, supporting our grandparents that are raising their grandchildren because of parents that may be in prison or have chronic substance abuse issues. That was a reoccurring comment in those groups, and those grandparents needing those supports. I’m not sure what that looks like or how we do that right now, but that was a reoccurring thing which I thought was very interesting.”
County Attorney Steve Goodlow, who also serves on the Drug Court Committee, says they’ll be able to continue to fund the program with opioid settlement money until about 2038…
“We can use that money to keep drug court and the program in school going for many decades, probably, though that and never have to come back to taxpayers or the board for money to help us with drug court or education in school and that, you know.”
He adds the Drug Court program can also assist those suffering from alcohol addiction…
“We’re expanding it. We have two individuals that we’re screening at the moment to see if they would be good candidates for drug court, not just drugs but. Alcohol is a drug so. You know, it’s a legal drug, so that’s part of the expansion I’m talking about, serving more individuals than what we have.”
Goodlow and Will added they’re also looking into the possibility of expanding prevention education to earlier grade levels in the schools.
