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Public health, detox and related services: Clay County staff report operations, grant activity and rising use at withdrawal‑management center
Summary
Public health staff presented program updates on WIC, school nursing, opioid response, emergency preparedness and the new Withdrawal Management/Detox facility; the detox program reported rising admissions and asked to hire an RN to replace a staff member moving to variable hours.
Clay County public-health officials and the county’s Withdrawal Management (detox) program presented updates on April 22 on grant‑funded prevention work, clinical services and emerging trends in substance‑use and emergency response.
Public‑health highlights: Health‑promotion staff reported success in long‑running programs including statewide health improvement planning, an anti‑vaping school initiative that reduced student vaping from about 24% to 7% in one district, opioid‑response outreach (including rapid follow‑up to overdose incidents) and targeted translation services for non‑English speakers. The county’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and nurse‑home‑visiting services continue to operate under federal and state grants; staff described ongoing referrals and in‑school screenings and said they were supporting a mobile dental clinic pilot.
Detox operations: The county’s Withdrawal Management facility — a 32‑bed, 24/7 program staffed with nurses, licensed alcohol‑and‑drug counselors and peer support — reported growing use. Admissions rose through the first quarter of 2025 (January through March totals reported as 145, 152 and 214 admissions, respectively), and the facility has seen heavier usage from Clay County residents and from North Dakota’s Southeast Human Services. Commissioners asked whether beds would be reserved for Clay County residents; staff said occupancy fluctuates and the facility manages beds to meet demand.
Staffing and hires: The board approved a request to advertise and hire a full‑time registered nurse to replace an RN who converted to variable hours. The detox director said the program uses variable‑hour staff to maintain coverage and that hiring would return the facility to its full complement of budgeted full‑time RNs.
Why it matters: The county described an expanding set of services that depend on state and federal grant funding and on cross‑jurisdictional demand (including North Dakota placements). The county also noted one of its public‑health grants was briefly affected by litigation over federal COVID funds; county managers said a temporary restraining order was reversed and limited COVID‑related funds were again available for public‑health activities.
What’s next: The county will proceed with the RN hire and will continue to monitor detox occupancy and referral patterns; public‑health staff will continue grant reporting and prepare updated community‑health assessment materials for the CHB (Partnership for Health).
