Carrie Gentry, the community addiction awareness director for the Stop the Overdose Project, came to both the Henderson County Fiscal Court and the Henderson City Commission Tuesday asking for funding so the program can continue its efforts to prevent drug abuse in the county.
She said STOP’s current focus is to build a community of young people who are resilient and use critical thinking skills and don’t want to use or try illicit drugs.
“Prevention efforts must begin at a young age,” Gentry said at Tuesday morning’s Fiscal Court meeting. “Drug prevention is a community-wide endeavor.”
Gentry told the court that the beginning of STOP occurred nearly two years ago when local leaders convened to determine how to move forward after a rash of fentanyl overdose deaths in the community.
Since then, Gentry said the main priority has been to stop fentanyl overdose deaths, and though the number this year is not down to zero, the work of STOP is reducing the number of overdoses and overdose deaths.
She credits much of that with the availability of Narcan around the county. Gentry said the Recovery Resource Club of Henderson on First Street has Narcan available in a dispenser at the back of building that is refilled often.
She also said that RRCH and the WARM center hosted a booth at the recent Tri-Fest and gave away all their Narcan supplies.
Although the overdoses have decreased in the community, “our work is far from over,” Gentry said.
Fiscal Court seemed receptive to Gentry’s request. Judge-Executive Brad Schneider asked Gentry to write a more detailed request and present it later.
Later in the meeting, County Treasurer Brenda Rider reported that a payment from opioid settlement funds of $155,000 was recently received by the county. Schneider said the county can allot that money for projects or programs that deal with drug-related issues.
In a related discussion, County Attorney Steve Gold suggested that Gentry search for a medical doctor who can partner with STOP to make diagnoses in cases related to Casey’s Law.
Casey’s Law allows a petitioner to ask the court to put a person who is a danger to himself or herself into treatment. After a petitioner makes a request for a person to go to treatment, that person must be evaluated by a medical doctor.
“I’ve seen Casey’s Law change lives, but it’s so much harder now,” Gold said, adding that having a medical doctor to partner with would allow more people to get help.
At the Henderson City Commission meeting later Tuesday afternoon, Henderson Mayor Brad Staton asked Gentry to write a request so that the city and county governments can discuss dual funding at a future joint meeting.
