Lawrence County approves $30,000 opioid-settlement grant for local prevention and outreach program

Lawrence County commissioners approved a $30,000 grant from the county's opioid settlement funds to Action for the Betterment of our Community (ABC) to expand opioid-prevention education and community outreach.

The ABC proposal, presented by Executive Director Kara Graven, requests the funds to expand a health-and-opioid-prevention curriculum in middle schools, host Dead On Arrival (DOA) town halls, and install public overdose-response lockboxes stocked with naloxone (Narcan).

Graven told commissioners that the program would extend existing school work into a more targeted opioid curriculum and build local capacity for prevention and emergency response. "We have submitted a letter of request for the state of South Dakota opiate funding," Graven said. She described plans to teach students about safe medication storage and disposal and to place locked overdose kits in public locations and county facilities.

Cathy Jensen, ABC's chief financial officer, attended with Graven. County staff described the grant-administration steps that follow approval: a county supplemental appropriation and a signed use agreement that will require ABC to report how the funds are spent and to provide outcome data, including numbers of students served and town-hall attendance.

County staff reported the opioid settlement account had received $179,484.14 and had spent roughly $58,000 to date; after the commission approved the $30,000 award, officials said the fund balance would be about $130,042.92. The board voted to approve the award and to instruct staff to prepare the necessary grant documents and reporting conditions.

The commissioners discussed accountability and reporting requirements. County staff said recipients must provide itemized reports showing how funds were used (funding category, subcategory, and amounts) as part of the county's obligation under the state settlement program. "We will make sure that we come back and provide a report with all of the services we've provided," Graven said.

The grant approval is the latest use of the county's opioid settlement proceeds; commissioners were told earlier payments have been made to drug court administration and to nonprofit partners. Officials said additional settlement funds may be forthcoming.

The board moved, seconded and approved the $30,000 allocation; the motion carried by voice vote. County staff will return with the supplemental appropriation and a draft use agreement for execution.

The grant will be subject to the county's usual reporting and audit requirements for settlement funds; ABC will be required to report program outputs and expenditures as part of the agreement.