We talk this week again about the drug crisis in Minnesota and the new research piece by the Center. This time we look at the major cost not just to individuals and families but to society as well, especially at the local level.

EXCERPT: “Nice Ride Minnesota has ended its run in Bemidji, but the program is living on in other ways. In 2014, the nonprofit bike-sharing program based in the Twin Cities started a pilot project in Bemidji to introduce the concept to Greater Minnesota. The Bemidji program allowed residents and tourists a chance to rent an ...

EXCERPT: “On the east side of Barnesville, in a grassy lot soon to be surrounded by homes, a sign picturing silhouetted children doing summersaults announces that the site will soon be a neighborhood park – the 12th park in this small town in western Minnesota. This summer the city plans to spend $250,000 on maintenance and new equipment ...

EXCERPT: “‘Thriving by Design, Rural and Urban Together,’ was a large scale and innovative three-day gathering at the Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort co-hosted by OneMn.org and Growth & Justice. Participants and Delegates willing to carry the events mission forward, converged for three days to begin developing a comprehensive ‘One Minnesota Equity Blueprint, a policy agenda ...

  This week we revisit the topic of drugs and addiction ahead of the release of the Center’s latest research, “It’s an addiction crisis,” discussing the rise of meth in Greater Minnesota and how both meth and opioids impact individuals, families and society. This week we look at the larger picture, the complex nature of ...

EXCERPT: “The candidates Minnesotans send to the governor’s mansion, elect to the U.S. Senate and pick for other statewide offices will depend on something obvious come November: who gets the most votes. What’s less obvious — and what campaigns for the people vying for those positions will be working out over the next several months ...

  While the nation struggles with the opioid crisis, in rural areas the drug of choice is an old foe: meth. Cheaper and purer than it was ten years ago, it has made a strong comeback, particularly in rural areas. This week, Jim and Marnie talk about the Center’s upcoming article on what is not ...

Across Minnesota, the “opioid crisis” is so much more than just opioids June 2018 By Marnie Werner, VP Research & Operations For the executive summary, click here. For a printable version, click here. If there were any doubt that opioids are the major health emergency of our time, two facts can put that doubt to ...

EXCERPT: “Senate health appropriators proposed a $2.3 billion hike in HHS funding for this year in a bill that marks a step toward regular order for appropriations. The plan emphasizes telemedicine for rural areas and adds almost $150 million in funds to battle the opioid epidemic. The Senate’s $179.3 billion proposal, which earmarks $90.1 billion for ...

EXCERPT: “Though the amount of homeless teenagers is higher in the Twin Cities and most metro area cities, teens facing homelessness in greater Minnesota face different challenges and ones that often make them more vulnerable. The further from the Twin Cities, the harder it can be for teenagers to connect with resources. They are more likely to ...