$4.9 million in grants announced to expand treatment, recovery services
Includes services for pregnant and parenting women with addiction
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ/PRESS RELEASE) – On Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the award of $4.9 million in grant funding to help address Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) by offering comprehensive treatment and recovery services to pregnant and parenting women.
According to the governor’s office, the funding has been distributed to 17 non-profit organizations, such as Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) and Neonatal Abstinence Treatment Programs, through the Senate Bill 192 Treatment Grant administered by the Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP).
“Our job as public servants is to work with partners throughout Kentucky to provide help, hope and a hand to lead individuals out of the darkness of addiction and into the light of acceptance, opportunity and community,” said Gov. Beshear. “This grant funding is another resource in addressing this public health crisis and allowing us to take another step closer to creating a better Kentucky for future generations, starting with our newborn babies.”
According to the governor’s office, NAS is a complex set of symptoms consistent with opiate withdrawal that is seen in babies exposed to opiates before birth. According to a report published by the Kentucky Department for Public Health, the number of infants born in Kentucky reported as having NAS has climbed steadily since 2001, when 67 cases of NAS were reported statewide. In 2019, there were 1,102 cases of babies with signs and symptoms of NAS born in the state; this accounts for 20.9 of every 1,000 live births among Kentucky residents.
The governor’s office reports ODCP and the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) collaborated to administer grant funding to licensed non-profit organizations. Grants support the development or expansion of comprehensive, evidence-based residential treatment services and/or outpatient treatment and recovery support for pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are transitioning from residential services.
This year’s Senate Bill 192 treatment grant funding was primarily provided for treatment and case management services, trauma-focused treatment for the parenting mother, attachment therapy for the mother and infant and ongoing parenting training and support through the infant’s first year of life.
ODCP Executive Director Van Ingram says it is well established that substance use disorder, particularly OUD, has reached epidemic levels in Kentucky. “Kentucky has worked hard over the last couple of years to boost access to care and remove the stigma of seeking addiction treatment. There should never be a stigma associated with anyone who is taking action to get help and heal themselves. That’s something we should all support.”
“Ensuring that pregnant and parenting women have access to compassionate, evidence-based services is a top priority in building a recovery-oriented system of care,” said DBHDID Commissioner Wendy Morris, an agency of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. “In efforts to address substance use disorder, we often find that women are the most heavily stigmatized population and face the most significant barriers when trying to find and maintain care. This program helps us connect more women to the life-saving services they need to recover from OUD and live healthy, productive lives.”
For a full list of the CMHCs and Neonatal Abstinence Treatment Programs grant recipients to receive funding from the SB 192 Treatment Grant, click HERE.
Some of the programs funded by the SB 192 Treatment Grant include:
Communicare, Inc.
Communicare, Inc. has been awarded $200,000 to expand substance use treatment and recovery services to pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorders, co-morbid polysubstance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.
“This funding will allow women to receive a recovery residence and intensive outpatient treatment by providing evidence-based curricula, individual and group therapy, peer support and relapse prevention,” Communicare Inc. Director of Behavioral Health Tim Hensley said.
LifeSkills
LifeSkills has been awarded $250,000 to increase the availability of and access to substance use treatment services.
“This funding will allow LifeSkills’ Outpatient Based Opioid Treatment Program to reach individuals with OUD and provide treatment services to them at times in which they are most vulnerable, thus assisting these men and women an opportunity to reach lifelong recovery,” LifeSkills Clinical Director of Addiction Services Megan Zipf said.
New Vista Behavioral Health
New Vista has been awarded $220,500 to increase access in both urban and rural areas, retention and engagement in substance use treatment services by providing transportation to recovery services, integrated medical services and contingency management in outpatient and residential settings.
“With a large portion of the New Vista service area being rural, this funding will allow New Vista the ability to provide access to individuals throughout its 17 county region to its residential substance use treatment facilities, as well as including a transitional living facility that provides intensive outpatient treatment, outpatient opioid treatment and medications for opioid substance use disorder,” said New Vista Chief Clinical Officer Nikki Stanaitis.
River Valley Behavioral Health
River Valley Behavioral Health has been awarded $246,800 to implement a Recovery House dedicated to women in recovery.
Fighting the Epidemic
According to the governor’s office, by the end of 2022, more than $69 million in grant funding will have been awarded to help recovery and fight addiction across the commonwealth.
“The commonwealth is continuing to take many aggressive steps to end this crisis by using a multidisciplinary approach with a team comprised of health care experts, law enforcement, advocates and public policy experts,” said Executive Director Ingram. “Kentucky cannot continue to lose our citizens to this epidemic, which not only causes thousands of families heartbreak but brings devastation to our communities. There is no simple answer to how we combat this public health crisis, but we must treat addiction as a medical issue, not just a criminal issue.”
Treatment Resources
Call the KY Help Call Center at 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357) to speak one-on-one with a specialist who can connect Kentuckians to treatment.
Click HERE to find information about available space in treatment programs and providers based on location, facility type and category of treatment needed.
Visit the KSP website to find one of KSP’s 16 posts where those suffering from addiction can be paired with a local officer who will assist with locating an appropriate treatment program. The Angel Initiative is completely voluntary, and individuals will not be arrested or charged with any violations if they agree to participate in treatment.
