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Senate committee hears plea to fund Change the Outcome opioid-prevention program
Summary
Witnesses told Minnesota senators that Senate File 1138 would expand Change the Outcomeeducation to more middle and high schools; committee laid the measure over for possible omnibus inclusion.
On Monday, March 10, 2025, the Minnesota Senate Human Services Committee heard testimony on Senate File 1138, a bill that would appropriate state funding to Change the Outcome, a nonprofit that delivers prevention education about opioids and emerging drug trends in schools.
Change the Outcome founder and executive director Colleen Ronny told the panel that her organization grew from a pilot after the 2016 overdose death of her son. "Luke was just 20 years old when he experienced a fatal overdose in our home in 2016," Ronny said. She said the group now has a team of eight and will be in more than 100 schools during the current school year, and that the program has reached more than 10,000 Minnesota students since it began.
Megan Wagner, director of programming for Change the Outcome and a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, described the program's classroom format: a locally produced documentary followed by a panel of young people with lived experience and evidence-based information. Wagner cited the group's pre- and post-survey results, saying student understanding of topics such as Narcan and recognizing an overdose increased by "40 to 60 percent," and that "95 percent of students reported feeling more informed about current substance use risks." She also told senators that "31 percent of our middle and high school students in Minnesota report knowing somebody who has had an overdose."
Sponsor Senator Dan Mann summarized the bill as a way to expand the group's school programming statewide. Committee members praised the program; Senator Abler said it was "solid" and asked staff to pass contacts to the group for wider implementation. The committee did not take a final vote on the appropriation and the bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus package.
Why it matters: Minnesota has seen rising overdose deaths in recent years. Testimony emphasized prevention education aimed at middle and high school students as a strategy meant to reduce future substance use disorder and associated costs.
Outcome: Senate File 1138 was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
