The state Department of Human Services and others testified to a House Behavioral Health committee yesterday, with a warning on how the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase of isolation, exacerbating mental health and addiction issues across the state. DHS has proposed some changes, including a broader use of telemedicine, steps to improve access…
A Bemidji woman was charged with third degree narcotics sales in connection to the recent uptick in opioid overdoses. According to the criminal complaint, agents from the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force executed a search warrant on the 2800 block of Ridgeway Avenue last Friday, and located numerous items associated with drug sales, such as…
Regional law enforcement departments say they have responded to 62 overdoses since Dec. 1, with 10 of them being fatal. According to a joint release from the Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Beltrami County and the Bemidji Police Department, the significant increase in recent opioid overdoses may be attributed…
The Leech Lake Tribal Police Department issued a release in response to the increase in opioid-related overdoses in the area. They say the most recent overdoses are linked to illegally-made fentanyl, which can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Signs of overdose include the subject being unable to wake up, shallow breathing,…
As overdose deaths spike in the region, Northern Minnesota Addiction Wellness Center director Margot Kelsey says anyone can access the life-saving drug Narcan within the state of Minnesota from their local pharmacy. Kelsey’s treatment center provides both in patient and outpatient services, with more programs than just the traditional 12 step recovery program. For more…
An addiciton wellness center is currently in the works within the county. During the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners’ work session on Tuesday, Margot Kelsey informed the board that a 32-bed facility, that would include both inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment, is just finishing up construction near Wilton. Kelsey, who recently completed her licensed drug…
