Medica Foundation Funds Statewide Harm Reduction Services

Nearly $3 million is going to Minnesota organizations offering community-based behavioral and chemical health services.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Substance Abuse

Wide photograph of a plain brick community building beside a birch-lined road, with a calm northern Minnesota lake in the distance under overcast daylight. — The Medica Foundation has committed nearly $3 million to Minnesota harm reduction organizations, including $200,000 for Harm Reduction Sisters in Duluth and Northeastern Minnesota. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you think addiction services in your community are getting better?

The Medica Foundation has invested nearly $3 million in organizations across Minnesota that provide harm reduction services. Harm Reduction Sisters received $200,000 for work in Duluth and Northeastern Minnesota.

Why it matters

Opioid overdose-related deaths in Minnesota declined for three consecutive years, and funding like this supports local nonprofits that have built a safety net in Duluth over the last decade and a half. Statewide investment helps extend overdose prevention resources across communities in Minnesota.

The figures cover nearly $3 million in statewide Medica Foundation investment and a $200,000 award to Harm Reduction Sisters, set against a three-year decline in opioid overdose-related deaths in Minnesota. The report does not break down how the statewide total is allocated among recipients or quantify the size of the decline.

The players

Medica Foundation

The Medica Foundation is a philanthropic arm of Medica, a Minnesota-based health plan that funds community health initiatives across the state.

Harm Reduction Sisters

Harm Reduction Sisters is a nonprofit providing harm reduction services in Duluth and Northeastern Minnesota.

St. Louis County Public Health

St. Louis County Public Health is the county agency that oversees public health services for St. Louis County, Minnesota, including Duluth.

The details

Medica Foundation funds are being used for overdose education, sterile injection supplies, Narcan, and connections to community resources. Harm Reduction Sisters is working with the Medica Foundation to provide harm reduction services in its region.

Opioid overdose-related deaths in Minnesota declined for three consecutive years before 2026.
Duluth nonprofits have built a safety net over the last decade and a half.
The Medica Foundation's nearly $3 million investment was announced on November 12, 2026.

Health Landscape

Minnesota's opioid settlement funds have been directed toward local harm reduction and recovery programs, and the Medica Foundation investment extends that pattern through private philanthropy. The three-year decline in opioid overdose-related deaths gives the state a measurable outcome to weigh against continued investment in community-based services.

Residents in Minnesota who use drugs can access overdose education, sterile injection supplies, and Narcan through funded local programs. Connections to community resources also help people reach services that support recovery and safer use.

The takeaway

Funding that connects overdose education, Narcan and community resources to people who use drugs is one practical way communities reduce harm. Residents can ask local harm reduction providers what services are available near them.