Lake of the Woods County receives Opioid Prevention and Intervention funding

It seemed like a long shot when the county applied for a grant from the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) but after reviewing local statistics the county felt it was necessary to apply for the funding.

In 2019, a team of healthcare staff, law enforcement professionals, emergency responder personnel, county services, and concerned community members got together and looked at the local statistics surrounding opioid use and abuse in Lake of the Woods County.

Official word that Lake of the Woods County was one of only six areas in the nation to receive the funding came in October of 2020. In total, the county will receive nearly 1.2 million dollars over four years for the prevention and intervention of opioid abuse.

“We were a little surprised that we actually received the funding. This is an extremely competitive grant that is typically awarded to much higher population areas,” said Tammie Doebler, Lake of the Woods County Prevention Coordinator.

Read more in this week’s Northern Light Region.