Behavioral health provider Pathways outlines services, urges coordination of opioid‑settlement spending

Representatives from Pathways, a behavioral health provider serving six northeast Iowa counties, briefed the Board of Supervisors about services they provide and how the county could use opioid‑settlement funds without duplicating existing State Opioid Response (SOR) grant activity.

Pathways officials said they provide mental‑health, substance‑use and prevention services to children and adults, accept Medicaid and most insurance, and do not turn people away for inability to pay. The presenters explained that the SOR grant already supports many opioid‑related items — for example, naloxone distribution and adult treatment services — and that settlement funds should be used for activities not covered by SOR to avoid duplication.

Pathways offered help designing media campaigns, outreach and school‑based prevention programming and said their grant funding includes an advertising component. "Prevention programming — the first one is funding for media campaigns to prevent opioid use," a Pathways presenter said, noting the opioid settlement guidance lists media campaigns and prevention as allowable expenses. The agency also described examples such as co‑layout with UCS Healthcare for MOUD (medications for opioid use disorder) and mobile treatment units, and discussed collaborating on county‑wide education efforts.

The board and Pathways discussed options for using settlement funds on prevention programming, school outreach (targeted second through fourth grade programming), and county‑level marketing; Pathways noted marketing costs can vary widely depending on placement (for example, stadium/unidome advertising vs. social media) and offered to prepare a cost estimate and campaign outline for the board to review. Pathways representatives also asked the county to factor in existing SOR services before allocating settlement dollars to similar activities.