(Des Moines) Governor Kim Reynolds has directed 17-and-a-half million dollars in federal pandemic relief funds towards opioid prevention and treatment initiatives following the legislature’s failure to agree on spending from the state’s Opioid Settlement Fund. The funding will support various projects, including ten million for enhancing infrastructure at treatment and recovery providers and three million for a recovery center for teens in Story County. Iowa, set to receive over 144 million from multi-state settlements with opioid manufacturers, faces the challenge of addressing the opioid crisis amidst legislative impasse.
Governor Reynolds will obligate funding for some investments she proposed this legislative session:
- $500,000 to an Opioid Use Prevention Campaign conducted by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to raise awareness of the dangers of opioids and prevent their use
- $1 million to an Opioid Prescription Prevention Program to provide training and nurse-trained technical assistance to physicians in prescribing opioids to surgery patients
- $10 million for a grant program administered by HHS and Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) to provide physical infrastructure and capacity-building grants to treatment and recovery providers
- $3 million to complete the YSS Ember Recovery Campus in Cambridge, a residential addiction treatment center for teens age 12 to 18
- $3 million for a grant program conducted by HHS and Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) to build a network of available sober living environments
Funds for the investment are provided through the American Rescue Plan of 2021.
