Marshall County approves opioid-settlement grants to Big Brothers Big Sisters and Prairie Ridge
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Summary
The board approved interagency transfers using opioid-settlement funds: $34,375 for Heart of Iowa Big Brothers Big Sisters to expand mentorship for children impacted by opioid use disorder, and approximately $58,000 for Prairie Ridge to fund peer support specialists and a Narcan dispensing unit; county attorney said the county has received over $600,000 since 2022.
Marshall County supervisors on Wednesday approved two interagency transfers using opioid-settlement funds to support local prevention and treatment work.
The board authorized a $34,375 transfer and memorandum of understanding for Heart of Iowa Big Brothers Big Sisters to expand mentorship services for children whose parents or guardians have been affected by opioid use disorder. Brooklyn Shlaveen, executive director of Heart of Iowa Big Brothers Big Sisters, said eligibility is largely identified through parent applications. "It is a lot of the self‑told information through parent applications," Shlaveen said when asked how the program determines which children are eligible.
The board also approved a transfer for Prairie Ridge Integrated Behavioral Healthcare to fund two peer support specialists, gas cards for client participation in activities, and a small naloxone (Narcan) dispensing unit. Marshall County Attorney Jordan Gaffney said the county has received more than $600,000 in opioid‑settlement funds since 2022 and that, after these approvals, the county will have allocated just under $300,000 to local programs designed to combat opioid use disorder. Gaffney added the settlement funds are non‑taxpayer dollars distributed through national litigation payouts and are earmarked for opioid abatement activities.
Prairie Ridge CEO Kelly (participating by Zoom) said the organization plans to employ full‑time peer support staff and provide training connected to Narcan access. "We will be looking at making sure that the only funds for those staff that we put against the opioid treatment settlement dollars is when there's not another payer," Kelly said, noting Medicaid may cover some peer‑support services.
Transcript materials contain two slightly different figures for the Prairie Ridge request: the agenda lists $58,005.46 while Jordan Gaffney referred to $58,546 in his presentation. The board moved and approved the Prairie Ridge memorandum and resolution authorizing the interagency transfer.
Both memoranda of understanding and the related resolutions were approved by roll call.
