16 North Dakota organizations receive $8 million in opioid grants

More than $8 million in grants — funded through national opioid settlements — will help support treatment services, prevention efforts and behavioral health workplaces. The funds are intended to address the state’s opioid-related overdoses and addiction crisis.

The state Department of Health and Human Services chose 16 organizations to receive funding over a two-year period based on professional practices, community recommendations and expected impact.

The North Dakota Training Academy for Addiction Professionals (NDTAAP) is expected to receive the highest amount at $2,496,562. These funds will be administered by the Heartview Foundation, which provides employees for the program.

According to Jennifer Greuel, Heartview’s director of communications and public affairs, NDTAAP’s funding will be used to provide scholarships and living wages for individuals training to be addiction counselors.

“One of the major problems with addiction treatment is the lack of addiction counselors in the state,” Greuel said. “Organizations can’t grow without more students going into the field.”

The Heartview Foundation also received a $128,890 grant to expand addiction services in Dickinson.

Other grant recipients include Family HealthCare ($1,667,500), Southwest Multi-County Correction Center ($829,848) and MHA Sober Living Program ($264,129).

In the next 18 years, North Dakota is expected to receive $60 million in national opioid settlement funds.

According to a 2024 state legislative report, opioids and fentanyl were linked to 893 drug-overdose deaths between 2019 and 2024. The majority of overdose deaths involved multiple substances, with opioids and amphetamines being the most common found combination.