A series of public listening sessions was held in cities across Dakota County seeking input for an upcoming substance use resource guide from the Dakota County Opioid Response Action Committee (ORAC).
ORAC makes recommendations to the county on the use of opioid settlement funds for grants and projects including the upcoming substance use resource guide.
The Hastings listening session was held last week at Pleasant Hill Library, the sixth of the series, to a mostly empty room.
As to what the community listening events were looking for, it was simply “the community,” quipped Bridgette Norring, Founder of the Devin J. Norring Foundation.
Several other listening sessions have gone without attendees showcasing the perpetual struggle to engage community input around the issue of addiction.
The resource guide is intended to be a comprehensive guide of substance use services, resources and organizations from around Dakota County.
While a number of barriers exist to those struggling with addiction and those who care for them, from insurance to social stigma, lack of information—especially around available resources—is often the largest.
“If Devin had survived, I wouldn’t have known where to go,” said Norring about her son Devin who died from fentanyl poisoning in 2020.
Several resources exist in Hastings from Allina Clinic, Dakota County, and nonprofits like Rise Up Recovery. That being said, many are drawn to larger rehabilitation clinics, for the sole reason that they are often what appears first when searching for resources online.
Part of the logic of a local resource guide is to meet people where they are at. What works when promoting and communicating local resources can vary community to community, which is why community input matters.
The solution how best to promote local resources remains subjective. “I don’t think it’s solved,” said Norring.
Dakota County residents are encouraged to provide input using the QR code provided alongside this article. The short survey is only six questions asking about barriers to accessing local services, how residents learned about local resources, and unmet needs within the county.
Additional questions can be sent to phsubstanceuseprevention@co.dakota.mn.us