The Berrien County Health Department is now taking applications from organizations interested in partnering with the county to combat opioid abuse.
Last week, the the Berrien County Board of Commissioners authorized a new round of opioid settlement grants to begin in 2027 and totaling $1.5 million over three years. The county is expected to receive several millions over the next 18 years as part of a national opioid settlement.
Berrien County Health Department health promotion and prevention supervisor Hannah Darr tells us organizations seeking to apply for grants could propose approaching the opioid epidemic in a variety of ways.
“It’s a pretty broad range of strategies ranging from actual medical treatment, like medication-assisted treatment or distributing naloxone, all the way to things maybe that are prevention programs,” Darr said.
In 2024, the county authorized its first opioid grants, totaling $1.1 million, for Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center, the Berrien County Jail, and the First Church of God. Darr says those same partners are eligible to apply for the new round of funding.
“We’re really happy about the progress our three partners have made. They all proposed very different projects, but all projects that the review team thought would be very impactful to the Berrien County community.”
But Darr says a new round of opioid grants creates an opportunity for new partners to get involved. The health department is offering them ways to learn more.
“We will be hosting an in-person office hours session from 9 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 16 here at the Benton Harbor office of the health department. And we also have an email inbox. which is opioidsettlement@BCHDMI.org. So people are welcome to submit if they have any questions to that email or come to the Q&A session. We’d be happy to help. We’re really seeking to help organizations submit the strongest applications they can because we’re really excited about the impact that this will make in the community.”
Applications from interested organizations will be taken through October 4 online. Once they’re in, the county’s opioid settlement team will then review them and make recommendations to the board of commissioners. The board will likely select the next grant recipients in November.
