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ORAC‑funded ARRIS team reports 350 people served, fewer repeat 911 calls and higher treatment engagement
Summary
ARRIS staff told Kandiyohi County commissioners Sept. 2 that the ORAC‑funded program has served roughly 350 people and that preliminary data show a 40% reduction in repeated 911 contacts and a 25% increase in treatment engagement among participants.
Irvin Miller and Jared O’Neil, members of the county’s ARRIS (Alternative Response Intervention Specialist) unit funded by the Opioid Response Advisory Council (ORAC) grant, briefed the board Sept. 2 on program goals and early outcomes. The grant, authorized in February 2023, funded two ARRIS positions to provide trauma‑informed early engagement for people with opioid use disorder, mental‑health needs and frequent justice or emergency services contact.
Miller described ARRIS’s mission to embed behavioral‑health expertise in community corrections, probation and social services to reduce incarceration and repeated emergency contacts. O’Neil (health and human services) and Miller (community corrections) said the two‑pronged outreach model screens incident reports and referrals, routes justice‑involved cases to the corrections‑side ARRIS and community cases to the HHS‑side ARRIS, and focuses on voluntary engagement, care planning and referrals to treatment, housing and stabilization services.
Program leads told the board they have served more than 350 individuals, noted a 40% reduction in repeated 911 calls among program participants and reported a 25% increase in treatment engagement for people the program reached. They said they are entering a formal evaluation with Dr. Patricia Griffin to analyze cross‑system outcomes, and that they are coordinating with partners including Woodland Centers (mobile crisis), CentraCare, United Community Action Partnership and local congregational outreach to provide survival backpacks, Narcan and other resources for people experiencing homelessness or crisis.
Commissioners asked about the balance of justice‑involved versus community referrals; staff said work is roughly split between the two streams and that referrals sometimes move from community engagement to corrections if an arrest occurs. Staff confirmed the ORAC positions are grant‑funded and do not add county levy cost while funding continues. Commissioners praised the work, asked about referral pathways and requested continued reporting during grant performance and evaluation.
