MARATP Dinner to Address Minnesota’s Addiction Response and Rural Treatment Challenges

WILLMAR, Minn. — Minnesota’s Office of Addiction and Recovery will present the state’s Interagency State Plan during a special dinner at the ninth annual Minnesota Alliance of Rural Addiction Treatment Programs Conference. The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the Willmar Conference Center.

Developed through the Subcabinet on Opioids, Addiction and Recovery, the Interagency State Plan is designed to better coordinate Minnesota’s response to substance use and substance use disorder across 12 state agencies. The Office of Addiction and Recovery will explain the state’s direction and how rural treatment programs fit within this coordinated statewide response.

For rural providers, this work matters because decisions made across state government directly affect prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery services. Stronger coordination can help reduce gaps between agencies, improve access to care and ensure state policies reflect the realities of delivering treatment in rural Minnesota.

Project Turnabout CEO Marti Paulson will discuss the potential effects of H.R. 1 from her perspective as a member of the Rural Health Advisory Council, president and founding member of MARATP, and leader of a rural addiction treatment organization. She will connect federal policy and upcoming Medicaid changes to the practical challenges facing rural providers, including reimbursement, continuity of care and access to treatment.

Paulson has served Project Turnabout since 2005, holding leadership roles in health care, admissions, external relations, operations and executive management. She also serves on the boards of the Minnesota Rural Health Association and Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling. Through these roles, Paulson has become a recognized advocate for rural treatment providers and the people they serve, particularly in communities where distance, limited transportation and workforce shortages can make accessing care more difficult.

Together, the presentations will connect Minnesota’s long-term strategy for addiction and recovery services with the immediate policy pressures facing rural treatment organizations. The Office of Addiction and Recovery will outline the state’s plan for improving coordination, while Paulson will demonstrate why that coordination—and a strong rural voice in policy decisions—matters to providers, patients and communities.