Michael Achterling, North Dakota Monitor

Some North Dakota health agencies are trying to adjust to the sudden loss of federal funding.

The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services learned last week it lost about $3.2 million in federal funding for substance-use treatment and mental health programs after block grants were rescinded by a federal agency.

In an evening email on March 24, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration told HHS that the COVID-19 pandemic-era grants were taken back in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order empowering the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency to cut costs.

“These grants were issued for a limited purpose: To ameliorate the effects of the pandemic,” the email stated. “The end of the pandemic provides cause to terminate COVID-related grants. Now that the pandemic is over, the grants are no longer necessary.

The grants were scheduled to expire Sept. 30.

Pam Sagness, executive director for the Behavioral Health Division for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in 2021 the department received the five block grants to target substance abuse prevention, treatment and mental health programming totaling about $9.5 million. The funding for these grants came from the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Renae Moch, public health director for Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health, said the organization received $115,000 from HHS to develop plans for a 24/7, 365-day facility to focus on crisis response, mental health and addiction services, rather than treating patients in an emergency room.

“How we were notified and how this kind of went down has just been unbelievable,” Moch said.

She said she received a general notification from HHS last Tuesday morning that their block grant funding was going to be impacted, but she was still unclear about what that meant and what funding was being rescinded. She got a call back about 4:30 p.m. from the department, 45 minutes before she was to present and hopefully award funding from the grant during a Bismarck City Commission meeting.

“I had to kind of refocus and compose myself before going up to the meeting at 5:15 p.m.,” Moch said. The presentation and contract award were pulled from the agenda.

Sagness said 42 grantees statewide will lose federal funding.

“Our focus now is on ensuring that services continue by identifying alternative funding and working with providers to minimize disruptions,” Sagness said in a statement. “It’s important for North Dakotans to know that support remains in place. Anyone struggling should continue to reach out for help, including through (calling) 988 or their local behavioral health provider.”

The department received notice the grants were being terminated the day the funding was rescinded, Sagness said.

Holly Scott, a spokesperson for Fargo Cass Public Health, said its state partners confirmed that its funding for social detox center operations will run out after September.

“Our leadership team is currently working to determine the impacts of these changes, while also reviewing alternate sources of funding to assure long-term sustainability,” Scott said in an email.

Other organizations impacted by the loss of block grant funding:

Connect Us Therapy, Williston – $50,000 for crisis response and law enforcement mental health supportCorner Post Counseling, Mandan – $30,000 for crisis response and law enforcement mental health supportPublic Health & Tribes, 23 contracts – $200,000 for substance-use preventionFlint Communications, Fargo – $824,951 for Parents Lead, opioid messaging initiatives and marketing statewideBeMoreColorful, Fargo – $160,000 for behavioral health workforce tools

“All of the planning and all of the work that has gone into it and now, here we are,” Moch said.

She said they don’t want to abandon the project, but the organization is going to have to come up with alternate funding sources.

“We will be losing months,” Moch said. She’s also hopeful a new grant or funding source can be identified before the city and county begin their budget discussions over the summer.

Separate federal funding through the Health Equity Immunization Grant was also rescinded for Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health, she said. That funding impacted the organization’s ability to provide free COVID-19 tests and a portion of the salary for a vaccine specialist.

“It’s all related to the same decision,” Moch said. She added that arguments about the pandemic being over and the funding not being needed don’t hold water because they are still working through the impacts of COVID-19. That funding was supposed to continue until 2026, Moch said.

“The abrupt impacts on us at the local level is what is just so unexpected and so we’re just really trying to scramble now because there was no notice,” she said.

In an interview with the North Dakota Monitor, Gov. Kelly Armstrong said the COVID-19 pandemic has been over for three years, but he has been in contact with HHS to get a handle on the impacts to state health providers.

“I’m glad it happened during the legislative session so we can figure out how we readjust our budget and figure out how to finish off the session,” Armstrong said.

In a news release, the Department of Health and Human Services said it was evaluating funding options for the loss in federal block grants and will collaborate with other state agencies, organizations and private partners to address priority areas. The department said it will provide updates as more information becomes available.

An effort that started with four North Dakota women pushing for a state ethics commission has evolved into a larger movement to promote democracy.

The BadAss Grandmas for Democracy is a nonpartisan, grassroots group that aims to get people more involved in promoting good governance.

The group’s to-do list includes empowering voters, encouraging people to run for office and supporting ethical candidates from any party.

“We want to be a movement that will engage people locally,” said Lyn Dockter-Pinnick, who facilitates the group’s monthly virtual meetings. “Because democracy isn’t a spectator sport. It has to involve citizen participation.”

The group initially formed to advocate for integrity in government through a citizen-initiated ballot measure. Voters approved the measure in 2018, establishing the North Dakota Ethics Commission to promote transparency and accountability of state government.

Ellen Chaffee, one of the founders, said the women stayed engaged after the vote because they feared the Legislature would undermine the intent of the initiative.

“It was important to keep the pressure on and it took a number of months to get the members appointed,” said Chaffee, former president of Valley City State University and Mayville State University.

The BadAss Grandmas have since pivoted to promoting civic involvement, said Dina Butcher, another founding member.

The group’s name was coined after a friend of Butcher’s grandson saw a photo of the original members and remarked that his grandmother is a “badass.” The women embraced the nickname.

“There are two kinds of people in the world – there are the badasses who go out and get things done, and then there are the tight-asses that just sit around and complain about everything,” Butcher said.

The group is open to anyone and not limited to North Dakota residents. About 260 members are on the group’s email list with attendance varying for meetings.

“You don’t need grandchildren to be a BadAss Grandma, and you don’t even need to be female,” Chaffee said. “My husband is a BadAss Grandpa.”

Members come from all walks of life and political beliefs.

Butcher said she was a Republican who worked for various conservative lawmakers throughout the years, but broke from the party in the 2010s over its stance on reproductive rights. She said she still holds many conservative values but felt left behind by the Republican Party.

Chaffee ran in 2012 as the Democratic-NPL Party’s lieutenant governor candidate, but she said she considers herself an independent. Another founding member is former North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Sarah Vogel, a Democrat.

Butcher said she sees the BadAss Grandmas movement as a “rallying cry” for more women to get involved and run for office.

“I think the main thing is that we are networking with a lot of other groups, be they national or local, to maintain momentum on remaining aware of what’s going on, studying the issues and knowing your candidates, and actually helping to find candidates,” Butcher said.

Chaffee said since the movement has no dues, or steadfast rules about membership, all a person needs to do to join is to “claim it.”

The group holds its virtual meetings on the third Wednesday of every month. The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 and will feature the Bismarck Documenters presenting how everyday citizens can get involved in public meetings.

The priorities of the BadAss Grandmas for Democracy, which include citizen engagement, supporting democracy and working across the aisle, are more important than ever, according to Dockter-Pinnick.

“We are united around the fact that we must be able to work together,” she said. “We must be able to have civil conversations, not name calling and disparagement.”

North Dakota Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. North Dakota Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Amy Dalrymple for questions: info@northdakotamonitor.com. Follow North Dakota Monitor on Facebook and X.

North Dakota Democrats believe Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be a champion for rural America and reacted positively in the first hours after Kamala Harris picked Walz as her running mate.

State House Minority Leader Rep. Zachary Ista, D-Grand Forks, said Walz seems to have a “down-to-earth, Midwest demeanor,” that he thinks will play well on the Harris ticket this fall.

Vice President Harris named Walz her running mate on Tuesday after officially becoming the Democrats’ nominee for president.

“You can really see how effective of a football coach he must have been,” Ista said. “He’s just a guy you really want to run through the wall for because he really motivates you both through his words and as governor through his actions.”

Ista said Walz has implemented a lot of things in Minnesota that the Dem-NPL party is advocating for in North Dakota, such as universal school lunches and addressing child care concerns.

From a Mankato classroom to presidential running mate: Walz’s message resonates on national stage

Nick Archuleta, president of ND United, the union that represents teachers and other public employees, said Walz’s years as a teacher in Minnesota give him a unique understanding of the issues affecting teachers and education more broadly.

“He is a very big proponent of making sure that our students have what they need to succeed and I think that kind of voice in the White House will be a very, very good thing,” Archuleta said.

He also said he believes Walz will be a stronger voice for rural America.

“Maybe one thing that will come from all of this is that we’ll stop thinking of this area as fly-over country,” Archuleta said. “I think that has been a voice that has been missing for too long, particularly from Democrats, in politics.”

In a social media post, former North Dakota U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp congratulated Harris on picking Walz and added she believes him to be a champion for rural America. She also applauded his values as a “hotdish aficionado,” sharing a story that he won the congressional hotdish competition three times as a member of Congress.

North Dakota leaders have disagreed with Walz on energy policy, arguing in comments this summer that Minnesota’s carbon-free energy standard may be unconstitutional. The North Dakota Industrial Commission, led by Gov. Doug Burgum, objects to Minnesota’s policy requiring utility providers in the state to use carbon free electricity sources by 2040, including electricity that comes from across state lines.

In an interview on Newsmax on Tuesday, Burgum blasted Walz.

“His policies have been great for three things. They’ve been great for North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa because all three states are benefiting from Minnesota’s economic and tax policies because people and businesses are moving out of the state and moving to places where they’ve got lower taxes and lower regulation,” Burgum said.

In a social media post, U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said he likes Republican chances this November with Walz as Harris’ pick for vice president.

“Perhaps together the two of them can let every city in America burn to the ground after closing businesses and requiring vaccines,” Cramer said in a post on X. “Harris has doubled down on weird with this choice, unless MN really is in play.”

This story was updated Tuesday evening to add comments from Burgum.

North Dakota Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. North Dakota Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Amy Dalrymple for questions: info@northdakotamonitor.com. Follow North Dakota Monitor on Facebook and X.