Hospital wins state opioid grant; county to release $40,000 for local transportation and counseling

Michelle Anderson, the hospital’s chief nursing officer, told the Crawford County Board of Supervisors that the hospital has received a state opioid grant intended to expand services for residents of Crawford County. The award will fund in-house transportation from Denison to Manning and enable a counselor to hold intake appointments in Denison initially two days each week.

The board heard details about how the program will operate and the legal limits on outreach. Anderson said the grant will cover hiring a transport specialist and that the hospital will schedule counselor time for on-site evaluations: “We did receive that grant from the state… and that will allow us to provide transportation and an evaluator here in Denison,” she said. She noted the hospital cannot advertise transportation to recruit new patients but can schedule and provide transport once people are enrolled in services.

Supervisors discussed available space (Public Health building meeting rooms and other options) and safety and liability concerns for having staff work alone; the hospital said it will seek a two-person staffing arrangement when feasible. The board also discussed grant reporting, with Anderson saying the hospital will report to the county Board of Health bi-monthly.

On county finances the board reviewed the opioid fund balance and authorized a disbursement equal to half of the current balance (about $40,000 of a reported ~$80,000) to the hospital’s program. The clerk was instructed to process the payment after the hospital submits a formal invoice and required paperwork. County staff said the funds must be invoiced and documented before payment.

The immediate outcome is a funded start to local transportation and counselor intake capacity; the hospital and county representatives said they will return with operational details and invoices as the program is staffed and scheduled.