The Kentucky Department for Local Government has approved a $200,000 federal Community Development Block Grant to help cover operational costs at a residential drug and alcohol treatment center in west Kentucky.
CenterPoint Recovery Center for Men in Paducah is managed by Four Rivers Behavioral Health and is one of 14 recovery centers in the commonwealth to receive the grant.
Rebecca Rittenhouse is a west Kentucky field representative for the DLG. She said the funds going to the Paducah center are to "assist life and recovery skills" to help the men there maintain sobriety.
Four Rivers Behavioral Health Public Affairs Director J. Patrick Kerr said the agency applies for the grant each year and expects to apply next year. He said the grant money takes care of salaries, electric bills, etc.
DLG Commissioner Sandra Dunahoo said in a release on Tuesday the opioid epidemic has worsened in recent years and the waiting list at facilities including CenterPoint has grown.
As the opioid crisis has gotten larger over the past few years, Kerr said, so has the number of people who need treatment. He said CenterPoint has a waiting list of upwards of 200 people at any given time. The recovery program is residential and takes about six months. For those waiting, Kerr said Four Rivers offers other treatment programs, including a 30-day treatment in Mayfield as well as outpatient services.
“We’re happy that we can treat the people we can treat and we’re happy to be able to have some funds to do that,” Kerr said.
The funding is part of a statewide initiative called Recovery Kentucky. The program has allocated $3.1 million each year in recovery efforts since 2005.
Rittenhouse also noted Kentucky's online portal to help connect individuals to substance use disorder treatment centers. The search engine is part of Governor Matt Bevin's 'Don't Let Them Die' campaign.
This story has been updated to include Kerr's statements.
