When it comes to addressing substance use disorder (SUD) and helping Appalachians recover, removing employment barriers is a crucial key to success. That’s why Kentucky River District Health Department is using ARC support to expand a proven recovery-to-work program and create opportunities in even more communities.
The HUB, which launched in Lee County in 2022, helps individuals in recovery train for in-demand career fields, including certified nursing assistance and computerized manufacturing. Now, with a $500,000 grant from our Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems Initiative (INSPIRE), they will bring services to Letcher, Knott and Perry counties.
“This grant will allow us to replicate our HUB concept in Letcher County, which will provide an interagency, interdisciplinary center where any individual impacted directly or indirectly by substance use disorder can get assistance,” Kentucky River District Health Department Public Health Director Scott Lockard said.
Partnering to Provide Services
Kentucky River will partner with Southeast Community and Technical College to connect a projected 800 participants with five apprenticeship opportunities and 24 businesses. Such partnerships are core to a successful recovery-to-work ecosystem, which are complex linkages of multiple sectors, including recovery communities, peer support, health, human services, faith communities and employers.
Beyond the workforce training services that will be offered through the HUB-Letcher County, people at all stages of recovery will be able to access an array of other supportive programs:
- Recovery coaching
- Emergency food and clothing
- Parenting classes
- Overdose response
- Sober living/transitional housing
- Telehealth
- Transportation
These wrap-around services are especially important in Appalachian Kentucky, where 23% of the population has a disability, the most of any state in the region. Disabilities can impact a person in recovery’s ability to secure these services. A comprehensive and holistic approach is required to be ensure all people in treatment can access what they need.
“Substance use disorder is one of the biggest public health challenges facing Eastern Kentucky,” Lockard said. “Expanding into Letcher County with the assistance of HEAL and other community partners will allow us to support more individuals to be successful in their journey to sobriety.”
Nationally, the rates of death due to drug overdose are higher in Appalachia than the rest of the country, and the gap increased from 2019 to 2021. Projects like the HUB-Letcher County are taking important steps to address these disparities. Furthermore, their motto, “meeting where you are, but not leaving you there” perfectly exemplifies the spirit of our INSPIRE Initiative: helping anyone in recovery, no matter where they are in the journey, find a pathway to success.
Learn more about the $11.5 million INSPIRE package announced on September 18, 2024 at the Land of Sky office in Asheville, North Carolina. The package supports 39 recovery-to-work projects in communities across nine Appalachian states.
