Henderson County was certified Thursday as a Recovery Ready Community, which according to a release from Gov. Andy Beshear’s office will expand access to assistance for drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
The local push to become certified as a Recovery Ready Community began two years ago, when local recovery representatives applied with the Volunteers of America, which assists in the evaluation of communities, said Nicole Frields, the chief operating officer of the Women’s Addiction Recovery Manor.
In May, the VOA came to follow up on the application, and according to Frields, wanted to take a look at the Fr. Bradley Shelter for Women and Children and The Port. VOA officials were also shown the Recovery Resource Club of Henderson, Matthew 25 Aids Services and the Chloe Randolph Organization, she said.
The day ended with a roundtable discussion that included representatives from RiverValley Behavioral Health, the Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy, the Department of Corrections, Henderson Mayor Brad Staton, Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider and Commonwealth’s Attorney Herb McKee.
They discussed the community’s recovery strengths, weaknesses and gaps in treatment options, Frields said. The identified gaps, according to Frields, are treatment options for adolescents.
With that information, the VOA went back and tallied scoring data associated with Recovery Ready Community. Henderson County needed a score of 210 to be certified; it received a score of 273, Frields said.
Now, as a holder of the certification, Henderson County is the 35th county in the state to be certified as a Recovery Ready Community.
The certification is recognition of the work that a plethora of local organizations are doing, often in collaboration with each other, to serve those in recovery.
“It’s stigma reduction,” Frields said, adding that many organizations in the community work together to “make recovery something to be proud of.”
The Center of Addition Recovery of Henderson includes the Women’s Addiction Recovery Manor, the Men’s Addiction Recovery Campus in Bowling Green, the Women’s Transition Home on Green Street, the Men’s Unity Lodge on First Street and the Recovery Resource Club of Henderson on First Street. Additionally, the organization is preparing to build a 48-unit apartment complex on North Adams Street in which people moving from another CAR-owned programs will have first dibs on an apartment there.
Also the STOP program—Stop The Overdose Program—is growing. The program led by Carrie Gentry educates students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol while also helping students learn to manage emotions and develop coping skills, Frields said.
Gentry makes presentations (or has made presentations) at Henderson County High School, Central Academy, North and South middle schools, Holy Name School and elementary schools A.B. Chandler and Bend Gate, Frields said, adding that organizers hope to present at all elementary schools in the future.
Of all that recovery officials are doing in Henderson, Frields still believes there is more to be done. One of her top wants is to fill the gap in serving adolescents who need help, a service she said is wrapped in a lot of red tape and that most often depends on the type of insurance parents have.
In regards to helping adolescents, she said, “We’re dreaming of that right now.”
She said that there’s much to be proud of about the work happening in Henderson. She quoted Van Ingram, the executive director for the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, who said, “If you want to see how recovery is done, come to Henderson.”
Dale Sights has served as the president-CEO of the Center for Addiction Recovery since its 2007 inception.
“We’re so grateful for the support we’ve had in our community going back to the formation of WARM,” he said.
Sights added that his gratitude extends to employers and others who help WARM graduates who decide to stay in Henderson after finishing the program.
“No other community has supported recovery like the community of Henderson,” Sights said.
