Cerro Gordo supervisors approve $47,410 opioid grant to help open Prairie Ridge methadone clinic in Mason City

The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 15 approved a $47,410.61 award from local opioid-settlement funds to Prairie Ridge to help open a methadone clinic in Mason City.

Prairie Ridge representative Shari told the board the organization had previously received $54,390 from participating counties and has incurred additional costs that raised the clinic’s price tag from an originally estimated $155,000 to $170,429.14. "We very much appreciate you approving the $54,390 previously," Shari said, and described remaining expenses for security, altered glass between dispenser and patient, and extra alarm-system work required by federal inspection.

Shari said federal and state approvals remain. The DEA conducted an on-site inspection in August but cannot issue final authorization until Prairie Ridge receives a Certificate of Substance Use Agreement (CSA) from the state Board of Pharmacy; a board-of-pharmacy pharmacist was scheduled to visit the clinic the week following the meeting. Shari said Prairie Ridge expected to open within a month or two after those approvals. She also said the program will seek accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

Shari told supervisors that two neighboring counties declined to contribute (identified in the record as Winnebago and two other counties referenced as Worth and Hancock) and that some counties had conditioned participation on siting clinics closer to their residents. "Those patients would still inevitably probably come here," she said, while acknowledging travel would be a barrier for some.

A supervisor noted state policy tied to the CCBHC designation requires a methadone clinic be available within 60 miles for patients served by certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs); Prairie Ridge said that requirement helped prompt the organization to provide services directly after a prospective partner withdrew. Shari described a waiting list of patients ready to begin treatment once regulatory approvals are complete.

Supervisor discussion focused on paying the remaining shortfall from local opioid funds rather than restarting county-level fundraising. One supervisor said the county ended the prior fiscal year with roughly $600,000 in opioid funds and, after prior commitments, expected about $400,000 remaining; that supervisor said funding the Prairie Ridge request would be an appropriate use of those settlement dollars. The board approved the request by voice vote; the meeting record shows the motion carried with members answering "Aye." The mover and seconder were not identified in the transcript.

The board’s action directs county staff to disburse $47,410.61 from opioid settlement funds to Prairie Ridge to close the stated gap. Prairie Ridge said it will open the clinic regardless of Cerro Gordo’s contribution, and will continue outreach to neighboring counties for additional support.

The board’s action was taken during the regular session; it was not accompanied by any changes to county policy, and supervisors did not place additional conditions on the grant beyond the funding source and the existing application process for opioid-settlement expenditures.

Votes at the meeting recorded several other routine approvals, including claims, payroll, clerk fees and departmental reports; those are summarized in a separate "Votes at a glance" item from the same meeting.