We are beginning to see signs that the overdose epidemic may be starting to ease. We hope.
There are signs that the years of record after record of drug overdose deaths at the local and national level that continued up until last year may be coming to an end. We hope.
But what is not going away anytime soon is addiction, particularly to opioids. There is opportunity at this moment, however, to address long overdue access to treatment and recovery options for everyone in our community who wants to overcome addiction.
And that truly might be one of the most hopeful signs.
As The Republic’s Andy East reported recently, Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) officials are putting together a county-wide application for additional opioid settlement funds that could significantly expand local recovery housing.
This grant application will ask for a share of the $25 million Indiana will receive in opioid settlement money that would be matched by local contributions.
We applaud ASAP for aggressively pursuing this one-time opportunity to expand treatment and recovery beds in our community. ASAP is doing so on behalf of a number of organizations that would provide services, and ASAP Executive Director Sherri Jewett said if the grant request is funded, it could add an additional 75 or so treatment and recovery beds to the approximately 120 currently available in Bartholomew County.
As East reported, the grant seeks funding for:
- Thrive Alliance, which proposes to fund 80% of the purchase price for five recovery homes, adding 50 beds for men in Bartholomew County. The remaining 20% would be split between the county’s and state’s share of opioid settlement funds.
- Bridge to Dove, a nonprofit formed by former St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Pastor Mark Teike, hopes to open a level-four recovery house in Bartholomew County with 15 beds for women.
- Centerstone proposes to add a level-three recovery house in Bartholomew County with 10 to 12 beds for men.
The money that could be received in this grant is in addition to money that local governments will receive from opioid lawsuit settlements.
From those dollars, local governments in Bartholomew County will collectively receive a total of $3.2 million through 2038; Jackson County will receive about $1.66 million in settlement funds over the course of the next 16 years; and Jennings County will receive about $968,813.
The Bartholomew County Council has voted to put all of the funds the county has received so far as part of the opioid settlement as matching funds for the state grant, which should help ensure that the application is funded.
These are all hopeful signs that we believe will work in our community’s favor to extend long-overdue resources to those best positioned to deliver them in what is a matter of life and death for those confronting addiction.
Our community is fortunate to include dedicated, compassionate professionals and volunteers who recognize the need to extend treatment and recovery services. We hope that they receive the funding they seek so that the hopeful signs of a possible easing of the overdose epidemic become reality.
