Fall River County approves letter backing Addiction Recovery Centers' opioid grant application

Fall River County commissioners voted to authorize the chairman to sign a letter of support for Addiction Recovery Centers of the Black Hills as the agency applies for a South Dakota opioid grant.

The vote followed a presentation by Jade Doring, clinical supervisor for the Addiction Recovery Centers office in Hot Springs, who described plans to use grant funds to implement an opioid-specific curriculum, expand staff training on opioid use disorder and increase transportation and transitions between levels of care. “We are looking to implement a new curriculum ... geared towards individuals with opioid use disorders,” Doring said during the meeting.

Doring told the commission the Hot Springs office serves the county and that “on average, it’s around 80 individuals within Fall River County.” She said the agency already provides assessments and other services to some clients coming out of the county jail and is exploring sending counselors into the jail to reduce barriers to treatment.

Commissioners discussed whether the county’s share of opioid-related funding could be used for direct services and how any county-level allocation might complement the state grant. The board asked the agency to provide statistics and program details at a later meeting; Doring said she would supply a packet with data, authorized uses and possible client success stories.

A commissioner moved to approve the letter of support and authorize Chairman Joe Faulkenberg to sign; the motion was seconded and carried.

The county’s formal backing does not commit local money to the state grant application; the motion approved only the letter of support and the chairman’s signature.

The commission said it would accept the agency’s follow-up materials and consider additional local funding requests or collaborative applications in a later agenda item.