LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — 51 organizations across Kentucky were awarded a total of $12,029,053 in grant funding from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission to bolster prevention, treatment and enforcement efforts, according to Attorney General Russell Coleman.
The Commission is responsible for distributing the Commonwealth’s share of nearly $900 million recovered in opioid settlements.
"This is blood money," said Coleman.
Coleman emphasized the importance of remembering the pain, heartache, and devastation the money represents. So, he believes it's critical to do good with this cash.
"We must be stewards of this money," said Coleman. "We're honoring those we lost by our stewardship and how we use this money effectively."
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“Families across this Commonwealth continue to endure the darkness of addiction. But these abatement grants and the programs they support provide a glimmer of hope,” he added. “DV8 Kitchen, Chrysalis House and the other grant recipients are investing in bold ideas to forever change the trajectory of the drug crisis in Kentucky.”
“Through this grant process, we’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand the extraordinary work being done to save lives in Kentucky,” said Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission Executive Director Chris Evans. “I’m grateful to the Commission members and staff for their dedication and partnership that will promote real recovery across this Commonwealth.”
DV8 Kitchen received a prevention grant of more than $150,000 to enhance its employee success mentorship program.
"It's working with each individual person to make sure they have a foundation in recovery, to help them make a plan to remove barriers and obstacles, and to help them navigate a path towards a dream career," said Mindy Street, who thanks to the grant will be able to serve as the full-time manager of the program. "We sit down and we literally make a plan. What school am I going to need? What barriers do I face? Do I have fines that I need to pay off? What am I going to do? So, we sit down and make a plan and meet with them every month and hold them accountable to meet goals and make some progress. And once you get that progress rolling, it motivates them to want to do more."
Street said it's important to see the potential of people in recovery, even when they don't currently see it in themselves.
"A lot of people that come into recovery have never even had a job, let alone aspire for a career," Street said. "We see the potential in them. They don't see it in themselves. And we nurture that and encourage it and once they can see that, nothing's stopping them."
Street knows that's true because she is in recovery herself.
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"I had been an IV heroin user for more than ten years," she explained. "Today, I have 1,058 days clean and sober."
The following organizations received grant funding from the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission:
Prevention Grants
- Anderson County Local KY- ASAP: $171,100
- Supports expansion of school-based prevention efforts and supports law enforcement training.
- Appalachian Research & Defense Fund of KY (AppalReD Legal Aid): $125,000
- Supports Project Renew, which provides legal support and wraparound services that help stabilize people in recovery by addressing employment barriers and other destabilizing civil legal issues.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass: $185,301
Supports the High School Mentoring program, to empower high school students to become positive role models for younger students.
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana: $200,000
Supports SMART Moves in SMART Spaces, an innovative program aimed at opioid prevention for youth aged 6-18.
- Carter County Public Library: $101,500
- Supports the Sound2Sky Passport initiative by hiring resource specialists to provide greater access to recovery-oriented programming.
- Covington Partners: $225,450
- Supports prevention programming that includes out-of-school-time programs, School Based Health Services, Mentoring, Drug and Violence Prevention and Family Engagement.
- Cumberland Trace Legal Services / Kentucky Legal Aid: $125,000
- Supports Project Renew, which provides legal support and wraparound services that help stabilize people in recovery by addressing employment barriers and other destabilizing civil legal issues.
- DV8 Kitchen Vocational Training Foundation and DV8 Kitchens: $151,730
- Supports the DV8 Employee Success Mentorship Program, which will focus on removing barriers, supporting career path development and job readiness while also supporting recovery and wellness.
- Girl Scouts of Kentucky Wilderness Road Council: $59,052
- Supports the launch of the building the Bridge to K-12 Girls Leadership project, a community-based prevention program that focuses on increasing girls’ positive childhood experiences.
- Jewish Family and Career Services: $77,207
- Supports enhancement of wraparound services for youth, to include opioid addiction screening and active prevention.
- Legal Aid Society: $125,000
- Supports Project Renew, which provides legal support and wraparound services that help stabilize people in recovery by addressing employment barriers and other destabilizing civil legal issues.
- Legal Aid of the Bluegrass: $125,000
- Supports Project Renew, which provides legal support and wraparound services that help stabilize people in recovery by addressing employment barriers and other destabilizing civil legal issues.
- Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital: $76,552
- Supports implementing a hospital-based, pharmacy-led Tapering Program.
- Operation Parent: $87,011
- Supports prevention education for parents of 4th, 6th and 9th grade students in several Kentucky counties.
- The Safety Blitz Foundation: $126,335
- Supports a pilot version of The Coaches vs. Overdoses™ program, which addresses youth opioid misuse, the proliferation of synthetic opioids including illicit fentanyl, through prevention, education, awareness and community drug-disposal programming.
- Scott County Sheriff’s Office: $91,847
- Supports DARE programming for students in 5th and 9th
- Taylor County Schools: $208,824
- Supports a school-based prevention program in the Taylor County School District.
- Three Rivers District Health Department: $320,803
- Supports partnership wit the Planet Youth program to implement a population-wide primary prevention process designed to take informed actions to increase protective factors, decrease risk factors and ultimately change the environment of children and youth.
- University of Kentucky Research Foundation: $380,572
- Supports development of prevention coalitions in Fayette County, educating 4th through 12th grade students and building community capacity and engagement around prevention efforts.
- Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education (Operation UNITE): $751,850
- Supports continuation and expansion of the Educate. Empower. Prevent. Program, which provides prevention training to students from 4th to 12th
- Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation: $90,472
- Supports the initiation of a Youth Substance Intervention and Prevention program that prevents substance use and abuse and promotes positive youth development and stronger families.
- WestCare Kentucky: $100,404
- Supports Camp Morilla, a free addiction prevention and mentoring day camp program for youth ages 9-12 and their families who have been impacted by family opioid use.
- Young Men’s Christian Association of Greater Louisville: $248,487
- Supports the YNOW Mentoring Program, which focuses on helping youth develop healthy drug-and violence-free lives.
Treatment & Recovery Grants
- Appalachia Regional Healthcare: $94,572
- Supports expanding the Peer Recovery Team so Peer Recovery Coaches can be placed in four additional hospitals.
- Backroads of Appalachia: $167,025
- Supports women in recovery with workforce training and employment opportunities.
- Boyle County Local KY – ASAP Board: $282,610
- Supports the expansion of the work in harm reduction, resilient kids programming and case management efforts.
- Celebrate Recovery Fairdale: $30,004
- Supports weekly recovery meetings.
- Center for Employment Opportunities: $255,109
- Supports expansion of employment services for justice-impacted individuals in treatment or recovery.
- Chrysalis House: $227,273
- Supports treatment for pregnant and parenting women.
- Comprehend, Inc.: $426,087
- Supports opening a buprenorphine clinic in a community mental health center.
- Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program: $450,000
- Supports Project REACH (Recovery Employment and Career Help), which provides career and support services for individuals who are in recovery and comorbid polysubstance use who are interested in entering or re-entering the workforce.
- Family Nurturing Center of Kentucky: $221,937
- Supports services for children impacted by their caregiver’s opioid use and provides needed support to parents in recovery.
- Family Scholar House: $245,110
- Supports REAL (Recovery, Employment, Advocacy and Limitless) Opportunities, a five-step approach revolving around wrap-around services during and post-treatment that will progress individuals from ‘crisis to stability’ targeting single parents, foster alumni, individuals facing reentry and post-secondary students.
- GRIN GRANT: $361,251
- Supports expansion of the number of dental restoration scholarships and peer support services for GrinGrant.org as well as the launch of the RecoveryGlue.org program (tele-health continuum care, IOP and OP program for newly established recovery).
- Hope Center: $680,280
- Supports in-patient, residential treatment for men.
- Hope Springs Church: $50,462
- Supports regular recovery support meetings and events.
- Horsesenings, Inc.: $115,219
- Supports therapeutic job training in the horse industry and housing for those in recovery.
- Isaiah House: $250,000
- Supports recovery housing and job training aftercare opportunities for those in long-term recovery.
- Kentucky Hospital Research and Education Foundation (KHREF): $250,000
- Supports expansion of the KY SOS ED Bridge Program, which ensures patients have 24/7 access to care.
- Lake Cumberland Area Development District: $277,552
- Supports case management and supportive services to individuals in recovery seeking to re-enter the workforce.
- Life Learning Center: $498,500
- Supports development and implementation of Recovery Capital Solutions (RCS), a cutting-edge, technology-enhanced system designed to fill existing gaps in recovery services by providing continuous, real-time data, support and accountability.
- Mercy Health- Marcum and Wallace Hospital: $179,834
- Supports recovery services for individuals with criminal justice involvement.
- Natalie’s Sisters: $88,356
- Supports expansion of services for women who have been sexually exploited or trafficked.
- Northeast Kentucky Regional Health Information Organization (KY RHIO): $331,997
- Supports the Career Ready Workforce Project, which will focus prevention efforts on high school students preparing to enter the workforce, individuals struggling with addiction and local agency staff members seeking to increase employable skills.
- Ramey-Estep Homes: $222,801
- Supports teen prevention education programming, expansion of first responder trauma treatment programming and expansion of treatment and recovery access.
- Recovery Café Lexington: $276,278
- Supports expansion of recovery support model to a third location in Frankfort.
- Transitions, Inc.: $156,000
- Supports expansion and enhancement of treatment services, as well as expansion of community education and prevention activities in the African American community.
- Voices of Hope – Lexington: $538,021
- Supports Access to Quality Individual Recovery Engagement (ACQUIRE), which aims to increase the quantity and quality of Recovery Support Services (RSS) for people in or seeking recovery.
- Volunteers of America Mid-States: $664,587
- Supports two Recovery Community Centers in Lincoln and Pulaski Counties.
- Western Kentucky MH-MR / Four Rivers Behavioral Health: $232,251
- Supports the Mobile Recovery Support Vehicle Program, MATR (Mobile Access to Recovery) that provide services to individuals over 18.
- Young People in Recovery: $301,440
- Supports peer-led chapter and life-skills curriculum programs for people seeking recovery and a youth prevention program for middle and high school-aged children and their parents in five communities.
