City leaders seek public feedback to fight opioid epidemic

Community and city leaders are asking for the community’s help to fight the opioid crisis.

During a panel and Q&A discussion, leaders highlighted successes but also talked about where there could be improvement. 

The pastor at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis spoke about free Narcan and Fentanyl strips being just some of the tools they offer to help treat and prevent drug overdose. 

Minneapolis Fire Chief Brian Tyner highlighted programs including Safe Stations, which is set up in Fire Station 14. Tyner says it’s a place where people can sign up for treatment options and get wraparound services to assist with their recoveries.

“It’s bad. It is devastating. It seems like we’re seeing more and more overdoses every year and I don’t want to say there’s no end in sight. I do believe there’s an end in sight, but we definitely have a lot more work to do before I think we see the improvements,” Tyner said.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, from 2019 to 2022, opioid-involved drug overdose deaths jumped 43%. 

Deputy Commissioner of Health for the City of Minneapolis, Heidi Ritchie, says right now they’re focused on gathering community feedback to come up with recommendations on how to use the $18 million of opioid settlement fund the city will receive over 18 years.

Ritchie says so far, the city has allocated $350,000 to focus on youth and another $150,000 on underserved communities. 

“It’s devastating and the settlement funds that cities are receiving are not near enough to mitigate the pain and devastation and heartbreak that has been caused by this epidemic,” said Ritchie. 

To provide feedback on how the opioid settlement fund, click here.