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It is with mixed emotions that I write to let you know at the end of June, I will be stepping away from my role in state government. It has been the honor of a lifetime to be able to do this work under this governor, and the support from him and his team has been overwhelming.
Looking back over the last three and a half years, I am proud of the team we have built and the work we have done, but even more than that I am grateful for the chance to have worked with all of you. Whether state colleagues, legislators, intergovernmental partners, providers, advocates or community members, the passion, commitment, and collaborative spirit that everyone brought to this work was remarkable to experience.
As I close out my tenure as Minnesota's first addiction and recovery director, I was reflecting about the last three and a half years and what we accomplished. It’s rare to be asked to start something new in state government, and in many ways this was a startup, but over that time we were able to do much to move the state’s substance use disorder (SUD) response forward and solidify the role of the subcabinet and Office of Addiction and Recovery as an important driver of action in and out of state government.
Certainly, the topline is that overdose deaths dropped over 25% since 2022, including a reduction in the disparities in overdose deaths. This is a collective accomplishment that everyone working in this space had a hand in, including our partners across state government.
Underneath that headline though, since 2023 Minnesota has moved towards a more public health-oriented approach to substance use and strengthened its response across prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. OAR intentionally built new partnerships with law enforcement, local governments, community organizations and many others to share strategies about what was working and where there were opportunities to improve.
We also created key governing tools and collaborative practices to bring state agencies to work together in new ways that have and will increase coordination and alignment to improve outcomes for Minnesotans. These include:
- Created an Office of Addiction and Recovery to staff and direct the interagency work of the Subcabinet on Opioids Substance Use and Addiction
- Creation of the state’s first fiscal map of substance use disorder funding
- Numerous workgroups and studies on key interagency priorities, including a metrics workgroup that is working across state agencies to better understand and align how we measure progress in various programs
- The first comprehensive analysis of Minnesota’s SUD response system
Key subcabinet accomplishments include
- Passage of an 1115 re-entry Medicaid Waiver that in the long run will fundamentally change the way behavioral health service for incarcerated Minnesotans are resourced and delivered
- Minnesota becoming the first state government in the nation recognized as a recovery friendly workplace
- Creation of the State’s first naloxone saturation strategy and centralized naloxone portal that since 2023 has provided over 400,000 doses of the lifesaving medication
- Centered access to medication-assisted treatment through workgroups and partnerships
- Department of Human Service’s Implementation of new quality standards for substance use disorder treatment and passage of a critical rate increase for residential treatment providers that helped prevent a significant loss of beds
- Passage and implementation of the Department of Health’s Comprehensive Overdose Morbidity and Prevention Act which was a historic investment in overdose prevention consisting of eight strategies to prevent overdose deaths. From July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 alone that initiative resulted in:
- More than 228,000 people receiving primary prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery support services across Minnesota
- More than 220,496 doses of naloxone distributed
- More than 720 community education events were held to learn about naloxone, stigma reduction, harm reduction services, and local resources to support basic needs
- 1,341 professionals received technical assistance or training regarding overdose prevention and opioid prescribing best practices for their professional roles across organizations including local public health, multi-sector coalitions, clinics and employers
- New substance use prevention standards and curriculum in schools including through the Department of Education’s statewide health standards
- New evidence-based youth substance use prevention programming across the state through both the Department of Health as well as funding for local public health and tribes
- Six “safe recovery sites” across the state in areas of high overdose rates to provide overdose prevention services and linkages to care
I have often thought of these roles as an endless 4 X 400 meter relay—you run as fast as you can, as hard as you can, for as long as you can, and then hand the baton off to the next person.
The team that was built is well-positioned to continue this work into the future, and whoever is selected to lead the office next is inheriting a strong foundation, talented staff, and clear sense of how to serve Minnesotans better.
I am enormously grateful for the support I received from all quarters and will forever consider the last three and a half years some of the most meaningful work I have had the opportunity to do.
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