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Behavioral health providers applaud vouchers, opioid grants and training pipeline support
Summary
Heartview Foundation and other behavioral health providers told the committee that opioid settlement funds, the SUD voucher program, and the TAP training academy have expanded treatment capacity and created a pipeline for addiction counselors; they urged continued funding for behavioral health programs in HB1012.
Curt Snyder, chief executive officer of Heartview Foundation, told the Human Resources appropriation committee that Heartview — a nonprofit substance use treatment provider — supports House Bill 1012 funding for the Behavioral Health Division and described three program areas that have expanded access: the SUD voucher program, opioid settlement grants, and the Training Academy for Addiction Professionals (TAP).
Snyder said Heartview used the SUD voucher in 2024 to serve 369 individuals, 256 of whom lacked other insurance or Medicaid eligibility. He described recent opioid-settlement grants that funded expansion of outpatient services in Dickinson (a renovation at St. Joe’s Plaza) and a $613,000 grant for TAP scholarships and paid trainee slots that expanded training capacity across a 15-site consortium.
Snyder said TAP scholarships require recipients to commit to working in North Dakota for five years, and that the program helped fund 28 paid trainees and 15 academic scholarships, exceeding initial expectations. He said TAP and related grants have increased the number of clinical supervisors and created partnerships with regional colleges, including Dickinson State and Minot State programs.
Snyder urged continued support for Medicaid and Medicaid expansion payment rates for behavioral health and highlighted other programs that broaden the safety net, including Community Connect and Free Through Recovery peer supports. He said Heartview is the largest substance abuse treatment provider in North Dakota eligible to accept Medicaid and Medicaid expansion and that the SUD voucher and opioid settlement funds have been “a major boost to the pipeline.”
Speakers also described local capacity: Prairie Recovery Center and other providers said the SUD voucher has enabled expansion and that providers are working on long-term aftercare and wraparound services.
Ending: Providers asked lawmakers to sustain or increase behavioral health funding contained in HB1012 to maintain treatment capacity and workforce development across the state.
