Price County Opioid Committee Sends $285,000 Spending Plan t

Last updated: September 2026

Mark Distin told the Price County Opioid Ad-Hoc Committee a story on August 12 that sums up how this whole process has gone. A woman he’d never met walked into His House of Hope unannounced, asked for a few minutes of Robert Knack’s time, and within twenty minutes handed over a $4,000 check. “I hear what you’re doing. I support this. Take please take this goodbye,” Distin recalled her saying, according to the auto-generated transcript. The recovery home in Phillips is getting noticed. Now the county is deciding how to back it with settlement money.

Quick Answer: On August 12, 2026, the Price County Opioid Ad-Hoc Committee voted to send a roughly $285,000 three-year spending plan to the Health and Human Services Board. The county has received about $287,000 in opioid settlement funds so far. The plan funds His House of Hope’s Genesis Process, school programming, public health work, and sets aside money for a future women’s recovery program. The HHS Board takes it up September 9, 2026, and the full County Board votes after that.

This is the fourth of five meetings the committee was allotted when it formed. The group decided it didn’t need the fifth. Nick Trumner, from the county’s Office of Administration, walked the board through a color-coded spreadsheet that Carrie in finance had built, sorting every idea into the state’s eligible spending categories.

How much money is actually on the table?

The number keeps moving. In July, the county reported $250,123 in settlement funds. By the August 12 meeting, Trumner put the running total at roughly $287,000, with a couple more checks arriving since the committee started. The spreadsheet lays out about $285,000 in spending across three years.

That’s the whole pot, essentially. Trumner was blunt that this is not a recurring windfall. After the three-year plan, the county expects less than $15,000 a year to keep coming in, and the HHS Board would allocate that small annual slice itself.

None of this is spent yet. The committee’s vote just moves the list up a step. The HHS Board has to write a resolution, and then the full County Board has to approve it. That’s two more votes before a dollar goes out the door.

His House of Hope makes its case again

Mark Distin returned to the committee to answer questions about the Genesis Process, the recovery curriculum His House of Hope wants to adopt. Robert Knack, the executive director, was called away that day, but Distin reported that Knack and another staffer are already going through certification to become on-site facilitators.

The program is a comprehensive curriculum used across the country and, Distin noted, in parts of the UK. His House of Hope currently houses eight men, with two tracks running about nine months and eighteen months. Distin said the facility could double to sixteen or twenty residents if it had the space.

Kayla Borgan, from child protective services, asked whether the program could help parents even if they weren’t residents. Distin said other facilities around the country do offer it that way, though His House of Hope hasn’t yet. Rachel Hoffman, from the schools, flagged a real concern: the program is faith-based, which could be an issue inside a public school. Distin acknowledged the question and said the group would have to work through it.

What’s actually in the $285,000 plan?

The spreadsheet breaks the money into several buckets. Schools get funding for opioid speakers and youth support programs across Phillips, Park Falls, and Prentice. Public health and the Substance Use Mental Health Coalition get a multi-year allocation. His House of Hope is listed for the Genesis Process and other program needs like a security system and a vehicle.

There’s also money set aside for a women’s recovery program. Price County has no residential treatment for women, and the committee agreed to hold funds in case one materializes in the region. If nothing comes forward, the money gets reallocated.

Trumner stressed the list is a recommendation, not a contract. “This doesn’t need a resolution,” he said. The committee’s job was to build the list and hand it up. The HHS Board decides the actual resolution language.

The vote that moved it forward

Tiffany Pichek made the motion to send the plan to the HHS Board. Sarah seconded it. The chair called the question, and the motion carried with a “nice resounding” chorus of ayes, per the transcript.

That was it. The committee adjourned, telling members they didn’t need to attend the HHS Board meeting but were welcome to. Trumner said he’d likely invite Pichek to explain the list, since a lot of her programming is on it.

What the HHS Board heard that afternoon

Hours later, the Health and Human Services Board met at 4 PM and got the same update. Trumner gave a short synopsis, holding up the spreadsheet so board members could see it. He told them the three-year plan would come to their meeting next month for approval, giving them time to review it and write down questions.

The HHS Board also made news of its own. Stacy Pomeroy was appointed to fill the nurse position on the board. Public health director Tiffany Pollitchek reported a glowing state review, with one state official asking if she could work at Price County. The state called the department “a little hidden gem.”

And the board honored Chris and Dennis Connor, foster parents for 38 years, with roughly 52 placements since the statewide computer system went live in 1996. Jasmine Marlinga, the foster care coordinator, presented them a plaque. There was cake.

What happens next

The HHS Board takes up the opioid spending resolution on September 9, 2026, at 9 AM. If it passes there, the full County Board votes after that. The committee’s work is essentially done.

For a county that started this process with a quarter-million dollars and a lot of questions, the plan is a concrete answer. The money will go to recovery housing, school prevention, public health, and a placeholder for women’s treatment. Whether the women’s program ever gets built is the open question.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much opioid settlement money has Price County received?

The county reported $250,123 in July 2026 and roughly $287,000 by the August 12 committee meeting, per Nick Trumner. After the three-year plan, annual receipts are expected to drop below $15,000.

When will the opioid spending plan be approved?

The HHS Board considers the resolution on September 9, 2026. If approved, it goes to the full County Board for a final vote.

What is the Genesis Process?

It’s a recovery curriculum His House of Hope wants to adopt, with staff already training to become on-site facilitators. The committee set aside funding for it as part of the His House of Hope allocation.

Is there a women’s recovery program in Price County?

No. The committee set aside money in case a regional women’s program materializes, but nothing is allocated to a specific provider yet.

Sources

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