Coalition requests county opioid settlement funds

     Jennifer Husmann, project coordinator with ASAC (Area Substance Abuse Council), and members of the Jones County Safe and Healthy Youth Coalition, were present during the Nov. 26 Jones County Supervisors meeting to request funding from the county's opioid settlement fund.

   Husmann requested $8,750.71 of the roughly $120,000 remaining in the fund.

   Four hundred dollars would go toward "the purchase and promotion of Deterra prescription drug disposal pouches." The Coalition would purchase 100 of these pouches at $4 each to hand out at community and Coalition events.

   Three thousand would go toward paid media campaigns on social media, a billboard, and in the local newspapers.

   Staff time would account for the biggest chunk of the funding request at $5,350.71. This would mean Husmann or another ASAC prevention specialist spending two hours a week for a full year, working on the promotion of NARCAN, proper prescription drug disposal, and opioid misuse.

   The board approved the funding request.

   Husmann praised the county's jail diversion program.

   "There was an opioid conference a year ago last May. We started to talk about what could we do? Diversion was at the top of our list," she said. "I really feel that now that we have something for those who are getting in trouble with the law and getting into treatment, it's really time to also put some toward the other side. We always want to look at things comprehensively. We want to make sure there's some of this money getting put toward prevention and not waiting until somebody has an issue."

   Husmann said the Coalition's media campaigns have proven successful.

   "Put a little money toward the main things we have found effective in Jones County when we're trying to reach lots of people, several different ways that are effective," she said. "We've actually done a study on it, but there is a certain spot on (Highway) 151 hits a lot of Jones County people. We feel that billboards, paid social media, and even in Jones County, thankfully we still have newspapers."

   Husmann in the last year or so, funding for the Coalition had decreased dramatically, but they still keeping pushing on and fighting the fight.

   "If we can prevent one death with this money that's just sitting there; we can't let it sit there. We have to use it, now," she urged.