Indiana “drug czar” joined local leaders for comprehensive addiction recovery network grant recognition on Monday.
(Left to right: Community Mental Health Center, Inc. program director Bridget Bascom-Hinkle, LCSW; Community Mental Health Center, Inc. CEO Tom Talbot; One Community One Family, Inc. executive director Brenda Spade; Indiana executive director for drug prevention, treatment and enforcement Jim McClelland; and Lawrenceburg mayor Kelly Mollaun.)
(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - On Monday, the State of Indiana’s executive director for drug prevention, treatment and enforcement, Jim McClelland, met with leaders in Lawrenceburg to recognize a comprehensive addiction recovery center grant that was given to support the completion of the local recovery network.
“Governor Eric J. Holcomb has called for an all-hand-on deck approach to combat the drug crisis and the Lawrenceburg and Dearborn County community has stepped forward,” McClelland said. “By meeting people with substance use disorders where they are, assessing their needs and connecting them to the full continuum of evidence-based care, this comprehensive addiction recovery network will help more people in southern Indiana enter recovery.”
Speakers from the city included, Lawrenceburg mayor Kelly Mollaun; Community Mental Health Center, Inc. CEO Tom Talbot; Community Mental Health Center, Inc. program director Bridget Bascom-Hinkle; and One Community One Family, Inc. executive director Brenda Spade.
Mayor Kelly Mollaun explained how receiving this grant has been in the making since the first year of his first term as mayor. When being approached at a city council meeting about the substance abuse issue, Mollaun reached out to the state to help solve the issue.
In October, McClelland announced that up to $3 million in appropriated funding for the Next Level Recovery initiative will support the organizing and opening of up to six comprehensive addiction recovery networks over the next couple of years.
These comprehensive addiction recovery networks were created by the Senate Enrolled Act 33 that was signed into law by Governor Holcomb earlier this year.
Three different regional partnerships in Indiana, including the Lawrenceburg Community Mental Health Center, Inc., were awarded a total of $1.5 million in funding. The first round of grants given will support the completion of their recovery networks.
Partnerships receiving these grants will work alongside local providers to offer services such as, assessments, inpatient, outpatient and medication-assisted treatment, peer support services, recovery residences, job training and workforce readiness services, and family support services at the recovery networks.
Once the network is finished, Lawrenceburg will be eligible to apply for a designation from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) as a comprehensive addiction recovery network.
Recovery networks will be overseen by the DMHA to oversee the development process and ensure that they have support including practices to help people start or maintain recovery from substance use disorders.