Last updated: July 18, 2026
By Price County Fun Editorial Team | Last updated: July 18, 2026
Price County’s Opioid Ad-Hoc Committee held its third meeting on July 8, 2026, working through how to spend a quarter-million dollars in opioid settlement money. The headline item was a $50,000 request from His House of Hope, a Phillips-based residential recovery program for men. The meeting also showed how hard it is to turn settlement dollars into practical help in a rural county.
$250,123 and counting
The county has received $250,123 in opioid settlement funds so far, with another $10,000 to $12,000 expected each year for the next several years. The money comes from class-action lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid epidemic. It is not a windfall. It is a slow drip that has to be spent carefully.
Nick Trumner from the Office of Administration walked the committee through the constraints. The funds have to be tied to opioid use specifically. You cannot spend them on anything county-related. There are accepted categories in the committee packet, and every request has to fit into one of them.
Trumner also made clear the money does not have to be spent immediately. The committee can set aside funds for multi-year programs. For example, they could allocate $20,000 for a family scholarship fund that lasts three years. The big chunk goes first, and then the smaller annual payments sustain programs going forward.
His House of Hope makes its case
Robert Knack and Mark Diston from His House of Hope returned to the committee after presenting at the June 10 meeting. The organization runs a residential recovery program in Phillips that helps men transition out of addiction. It has been operating for nearly two years.
They asked for approximately $50,000 across three items:
- Security system ($10,000) — Key card access on all doors so staff can track who comes and goes. Knack said accountability is critical in a recovery setting where addiction and manipulation go hand in hand.
- Transportation vehicle — A larger vehicle that can transport up to eight men to behavioral health appointments, rehab programs, and other services. Lack of transportation is a recurring barrier in rural Price County.
- Genesis Process curriculum ($10,000/year for 3 years) — A nationwide recovery program framework that includes consulting, on-site training, onboarding for volunteer staff, and a program audit called a “facelift.” Knack cited results claimed by other programs that adopted it: a 60% retention rate and 75% recovery rate in Rockford, Illinois, 80% in Salt Lake City, and 90% in Santa Barbara. Hope Gospel in Eau Claire saw an 18% increase in their success rate after adopting the Genesis Process, according to the presenters.
Distin framed the organization as working “upstream” from law enforcement, healthcare, and schools. By helping men recover before they end up in the criminal justice system or the ER, His House of Hope aims to reduce recidivism and the broader social costs of addiction.
Knack shared a telling story. He recently got a call from the emergency room at Park Falls about a homeless man struggling with addiction. By the time Knack called back, the man was gone. There is nowhere in Price County to bring someone who needs immediate help but is not ready to commit to a program. His House of Hope is not a homeless shelter. It requires an interview and application process. That gap between crisis and treatment is one of the things the opioid committee is trying to address.
The body scanner problem
Trumner raised a difficult example. The sheriff’s department wants a body scanner for the jail to prevent drugs and contraband from getting in. It is easy to see how that connects to the opioid crisis. Fitting it into the accepted spending categories is harder.
This is the kind of decision the committee faces. Do you fund a scanner that stops opioids from entering the jail? Or do you fund a recovery program that stops people from needing opioids in the first place? With limited funds, the committee cannot do everything.
Other ideas discussed included a scholarship fund for families traveling to treatment facilities, since Price County has no local treatment options. People have to go to Tamarack Health or farther, and families face hotel costs, gas, and time off work. The committee could set aside money to offset those costs.
Still missing voices
The committee has met three of its five allotted times. Several key stakeholders have not yet reported. Aspirus (Dina King) had not yet joined the meeting remotely. Marshfield Medical Clinic submitted a written report from Lori Mchuan reporting zero opioid overdoses at the Park Falls emergency department from July 2025 to July 2026 — though providers noted more meth use and mental health concerns than opioid-specific cases. Phillips School District (Rachel Hoffman) was absent. Prentice School District (Megan Enders) submitted a written report by email.
Those gaps matter. The committee is trying to understand the full picture of opioid impact across healthcare, law enforcement, and schools before making funding recommendations. Without input from the major medical providers and school districts, the picture is incomplete.
Trumner said the goal of the remaining meetings is to narrow down specific programs with budgets and identify which spending category each falls under. Once the committee reaches consensus, their recommendations go to the Health and Human Services Board for approval, then to the full County Board of Supervisors for a final vote.
Health and Human Services Board gets the update
Earlier that morning, the Health and Human Services Board had met and heard an update on the opioid committee’s progress from HHS Board Vice-Chair Paula Houdek. The board learned that the opioid settlement funds now total $250,123 and that the committee is working through program proposals.
HHS Board member Robert Kopisch raised a point that goes beyond any single purchase order. He asked about people who are struggling with addiction but are hesitant to come forward. He wanted to know if there was a way to make it easier for them to reach out and get help, using the settlement funds.
“I’m sure there are people that have problems that don’t know what to do as far as getting over whatever their problem is,” Kopisch said. “There may be a hesitancy to come forward.”
That question gets at the heart of the challenge. Settlement money can fund programs and equipment, but it cannot by itself remove the stigma that keeps people from seeking help. The committee’s final recommendations will need to address both the practical barriers (transportation, treatment access) and the human ones.
The asphalt plant returns
In a brief but notable moment during the HHS Board meeting, Kopisch also referenced the controversial asphalt plant proposal that was withdrawn from the zoning process earlier this year. He asked public health staff to prepare information about the health impacts of asphalt plants, saying “it’s going to come back” and the board should “stay ahead of that.”
The proposal to put an asphalt plant near a residential area drew significant community opposition before being withdrawn. Kopisch’s comments confirm what many residents suspected: the application may return, and the county needs to be ready with health data when it does.
What happens next
The Opioid Ad-Hoc Committee has two meetings remaining. The next step is to hear from the medical centers and school districts that have not yet reported, then start matching program requests to spending categories and attaching dollar amounts.
The committee’s recommendations will go to the Health and Human Services Board, which will review and forward them to the County Board of Supervisors. The full board has final say on how the $250,123 gets allocated.
For His House of Hope, the wait continues. Knack and Distin made their case. Now the committee has to decide if $50,000 of the settlement fund goes to a security system, a van, and a recovery curriculum in Phillips, or to the body scanner in the jail, or to a family scholarship fund, or some combination of all three.
With a quarter-million dollars and a public health crisis, there are no easy answers. But Price County is at least asking the right questions.
Update: July 18, 2026 — Probation Non-Approval Raises Questions
A closer review of the July 8 meeting transcript revealed one detail not included in the original report. Behavioral health worker Kayla Borggan told the committee that the Price County probation department does not approve His House of Hope as housing for people under supervision. “I believe probation doesn’t approve of that as housing at this time,” Borggan said. “I know they’ve had several residents that weren’t approved to stay there.” She said she did not know the specific reasons but speculated it could relate to security requirements.
The revelation complicates the $50,000 funding request. If probation will not place clients there, the program cannot serve a key population. The committee did not vote on any allocations. Nick Trumner compiled a working spreadsheet with roughly $19,000 unallocated after initial proposals. The next meeting is August 12, 2026.
The committee also discussed the Forest County Wellness Court as a possible model, but that program runs on a $400,000 grant with a $300,000 local match, far beyond what Price County could afford. Tiffany Pichek, the county public health nurse, presented a prevention package including media campaigns, Narcan distribution, lock boxes, the Catch My Breath vaping prevention program for schools, and sustainability funding for the substance use coalition. She estimated $40,000 for public health programs through 2038 and $100,000 for the coalition through 2028.
See also: what makes Price County communities special
See also: our guide to Price County public records
See also: our tracking of Price County opioid settlement spending
See also: our Price County Board 2026 roster and meeting tracker
FAQ
How much opioid settlement money does Price County have?
As of the July 8, 2026 committee update, the county reported $250,123 received so far, with roughly $15,000–$20,000 expected annually for several more years.
What did His House of Hope request?
About $50,000 total for a security system (~$10,000), a transport vehicle for up to eight men, and Genesis Process curriculum support at about $10,000 per year for three years, according to the presenters.
Who approves how the money is spent?
The Opioid Ad-Hoc Committee develops recommendations. Those go to the Health and Human Services Board, then to the full County Board of Supervisors for final approval.
Have all stakeholders reported?
No. As of meeting three of five, Aspirus (Dina King) had not yet joined remotely. Marshfield Medical Clinic submitted a written report (Lori Mchuan). Phillips School District (Rachel Hoffman) was absent. Prentice School District (Megan Enders) submitted a written report by email.
For more Price County government coverage, see related reporting on pricecounty.fun. Local context: Phillips, WI and Park Falls, WI.