Bartholomew County residents can access a new addiction recovery resource center as soon as Aug. 1 if all goes according to plan, said Nathan Walsh, manager of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress Hub.
The county alliance, commonly referred to as ASAP Inc., is an organization formed to provide prevention and recovery services to people affected by the opioid crisis in Bartholomew County.
Since December 2018, the ASAP board of directors has worked to set up the hub, a physical location where people seeking treatment will find referrals and assistance in recovering from addiction. At the board’s Wednesday meeting, Walsh offered an update on the current standing of the facility at Doug Otto Center near downtown Columbus.
Renovation of the 1,600-square-foot space at 1531 13th St. began in March and was originally predicted to be complete by July. Walsh said the construction crew, made up of local volunteers, has faced some setbacks, including the necessary removal of a vault, electrical issues and wet concrete briefly halting operations.
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Nevertheless, Walsh said he’s pushing hard to make the Aug. 1 opening happen.
“This thing is coming to life,” Walsh said. “People are coming to City Hall for it to come to life. It’s not perfect. We’re going to fall and stumble, but people starting to hear about it and using it already.”
ASAP’s interim executive director Jeff Jones said when discussion of the hub originally started, Jones said the ASAP team recognized a need to brand the hub in a way for people who need help to know it was for them.
“We looked at a lot of different options, but we decided with the help of an outside company that the ASAP brand was strong. It needed to be the best way to create awareness and refer to it as the ASAP Hub, but call it a recovery resource center,” Jones said.
“It’s about recovery. We wanted to be a resource. We wanted treatment providers to see it as a resource center. We wanted the courts to see it was a resource center. We wanted the clients to see it as a resource center.”
Already, Jones said the space is shaping up beyond his wildest dreams.
“The effort that’s been made there, the volunteers from Mission Columbus, Cummins, there are superheroes out there — the list goes on and on –making things happen for us,” Jones said. “The community has really stepped it up.”
In alignment with the hub’s estimated opening date, Jones also announced plans to host a community progress report event on Aug. 26 at The Commons. As ASAP emerges into a system of support with increased capabilities and the establishment of the hub, Jones predicts this event could build community awareness of Bartholomew County’s support system.
“One of the things we’re recognizing is people that support us will show up,” Jones said. “That’s great. We want all of our supporters there. But this is just as much aimed at people we’re going to serve. We’re ready to let the community know we’re ready to serve. It’s going to be a major opportunity to accelerate from that point forward.”
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To learn more about the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) in Bartholomew County, go online at asapbc.org.
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