§ 254B.18 — Safe Recovery Sites Start-up and Capacity-building Grants
Plain-Language Summary
The commissioner of human services must create start-up and capacity-building grants for harm reduction organizations to establish safe recovery sites that offer services to people in active stages of substance use disorder. Eligible services include safe injection spaces, needle exchange, naloxone kits, drug testing, street outreach, and health and hygiene services. The commissioner must prioritize grants for culturally specific organizations serving communities disproportionately impacted by the opioid epidemic.
254B.18 SAFE RECOVERY SITES START-UP AND CAPACITY-BUILDING GRANTS.
(a) The commissioner of human services must establish start-up and capacity-building grants for current or prospective harm reduction organizations to promote health, wellness, safety, and recovery to people who are in active stages of substance use disorder. Grants must be used to establish safe recovery sites that offer harm reduction services and supplies, including but not limited to:
(1) safe injection spaces;
(2) sterile needle exchange;
(3) opiate antagonist rescue kits;
(4) fentanyl and other drug testing;
(5) street outreach;
(6) educational and referral services;
(7) health, safety, and wellness services; and
(8) access to hygiene and sanitation.
(b) The commissioner must conduct local community outreach and engagement in collaboration with newly established safe recovery sites. The commissioner must evaluate the efficacy of safe recovery sites and collect data to measure health-related and public safety outcomes.
(c) The commissioner must prioritize grant applications for organizations that are culturally specific or culturally responsive and that commit to serving individuals from communities that are disproportionately impacted by the opioid epidemic, including:
(1) Native American, American Indian, and Indigenous communities; and
(2) Black, African American, and African-born communities.
(d) For purposes of this section, a “culturally specific” or “culturally responsive” organization is an organization that is designed to address the unique needs of individuals who share a common language, racial, ethnic, or social background, and is governed with significant input from individuals of that specific background.
History:
History: History:
2023 c 61 art 4 s 13