Kentucky Continues Public Addictions Leadership, New $32M Spend

Addiction Treatment Industry Newswire

01/08/2014 –ATIN – Continuing what is increasingly becoming it’s obvious leadership amongst the states in funding and promoting recovery from addiction, Kentucky announced today that an additional $32M would be made available for a range of programs and capital projects centered around the state’s pioneering initiative Recovery Kentucky, a multi-agency effort managed from the governor’s office that coordinates an increasing array of public addictions efforts in the country’s 26^th largest state. The sum announced, which is in addition to strong recent state addictions funding in Kentucky, is enormous both in the context Kentucky’s relatively small 4.3M population and in terms of what other states allocate toward public addiction treatment spending.

Vioxx Settlement

In an example of how addiction treatment is receiving big priority at the highest levels in Kentucky, Governor Steve Beshear was in attendence as the state attorney general announced that the entire $32M of a settlement over deception by drug companies of the dangers of the drug Vioxx was going toward Recovery Kentucky. With state First Lady Jane Beshear standing by, she has been highly influential in launching and managing Recovery Kentucky, Attorney General Jack Conway said the “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” strategy previously employed to deal with the addiction problem was no longer effective, saying strong enforcement was only one aspect of a well-rounded approach to addictions public policy. The attorney general did not elaborate on how strong enforcement has contributed toward the fight against addiction in Kentucky, but in the rest of the country, and at the federal level, there is increasing recognition of the almost complete failure of tough enforcement efforts with respect to the War on Drugs.

Big New Public Center Builds

Kentucky has been hugely active in building a network of new public addictions centers across the state in conjunction with private developers and non-profit addictions treatment enterprises. Of the $32M, monies will be spent on finishing a new center development in Ashland, millions will be spent on a range of scholarships for treatment and the largest chuck, $19M, will be spent on grants for public juvenile and adolescent care in the state. There are now 17 Recovery Kentucky addiction treatment centers throughout the state, all of which are comprehensive centers with residential and outpatient capacity.

Sober Home Network

There will also in the next couple of years be funding provided for the build out, and for rental assistance for those seeking help, of 14 transitional living sober homes throughout the state.

READ OUR STORY ON RECOVERY KENTUCKY’S NIMBY BATTLES

READ OUR STORY ON DEVELOPER BEHIND RECOVERY KENTUCKY BUILDS

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