Idaho Behavioral Health Council identifies at-risk areas for targeted spending of opioid funding 

An advisory group has identified Idaho counties at high risk for opioid use disorder to target in its recommendations for the state’s use of opioid settlement funds. 

The Idaho Behavioral Health Council brings together the state’s three branches of government — legislative, judicial and executive — to provide recommendations to lawmakers about how to improve mental health and substance use issues statewide. 

The council on Friday finalized its recommendation that opioid settlement funds be prioritized for at-risk populations and communities. A summary highlighting some of the counties facing the highest risk of opioid use disorder included Kootenai, Benewah, Nez Perce, Bannock, Bear Lake, Clearwater, Boise and Ada counties. 

The state’s opioid settlement fund was created from a nationwide settlement with opioid manufacturers and may be used for certain, approved prevention or treatment projects. Last year, the Legislature approved spending $6.8 million of opioid settlement funds, according to a memo from the Division of Financial Management. 

Idaho Behavioral Health Council asks lawmakers to prioritize rural communities with opioid funding

The council voted on its top priorities at a meeting in June, which included funding proposed for projects that focus on prevention for high-risk populations, behavioral health support for first responders, and developing the behavioral health workforce. 

Council members on Friday agreed to send a one-page summary outlining risk factors for opioid use disorder and highlighting which counties were most at-risk, using a 2024 report titled the Opioid-Related Overdose Vulnerability in Idaho: An Epidemiological Assessment.

“This handout identifies risk factors for opioid use disorder and puts them in the context of Idaho, where those places are, where we may have more vulnerable folks, where we have had higher levels of overdose, where we have high levels of opioid prescriptions being written,” said Sara Omundson, administrative director of state courts and co-chair of the Behavioral Health Council. “All of this is based on research that was done over the last few years.” 

The council also agreed to ask the governor and state legislative budget writers to prioritize projects that serve rural communities in the state. 

What areas are at high risk for opioid use?

Factors that may lead to certain populations to be at higher risk of misusing opioids include lower educational attainment, according to the risk factor summary the council included with its recommendations. Those without college experience are almost twice as likely to misuse opioids, the summary said.

The summary also identified other Idaho counties at-risk because of factors such as high prescription rates and high narcotic arrests using data from the American Community Survey, the Idaho Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, and the Idaho State Police Statistical Analysis Center.

The top counties at risk based on low average educational attainment are Shoshone, Lincoln, Minidoka, Owyhee, Adams, Benewah, Payette, Gooding, Jerome and Clark counties. 

The top counties for high opioid prescription rates are Nez Perce, Bannock, Bear Lake, Butte, Lewis, Shoshone, Benewah, Caribou, Gem and Lemhi. 

In general, people ages 26-49 are at the greatest risk of opioid misuse and overdose, the summary said. And men die from opioid overdose at a rate nearly 50% higher than women. 

The advisory group’s recommendations will go to legislators and the governor, and ultimately the Legislature will decide how to use the state’s settlement funds. 

“I really appreciate the visual that you guys put together,” Boise Democratic state Rep. Brooke Green said at the meeting Friday. “(It) really highlights some of our vulnerabilities throughout the state.”