FRANKFORT, Ky. — Attorney General Daniel Cameron has activated an online grant portal by the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission to fund organizations combating the epidemic.
This online grant portal will help fund several opioid recovery programs in the state. The money comes from the commonwealth's portion of a $478 million settlement with opioid companies.
Marla Highbaugh, chief admission advancement officer at The Healing Place said funding is important because they offer their clients the gift of time for free.
"If it takes an individual at their own pace to go 9 months or 10 months there is not a reason that says they have to leave so funding is truly important because we don't charge for our services," she said.
In previous years, they have helped 16,000 clients and that number is still growing, as there is still a high percentage of people who struggle with an opioid abuse disorder. The Healing Place helps by providing detox and housing services.
"About 30% of the individuals who walk through our doors in detox they're struggling, still struggling with an opioid abuse disorder that's still the primary focus of their life as they walk through our doors and 30% is pretty high," Highbaugh explained.
Marla is happy about this investment because it will allow them to grow their recovery services and reach even more people.
"What we would like to do is basically fund more peer support individuals, more of our staff members that we need," she said. "Actually, one of our focuses is to build out our admissions team."
The Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission is encouraging organizations to start a submission now. The Healing Place has already started their process.
"We have gone through the process of getting on the portal, we have got our password and username and we're ready in the next couple of days for them to send us more information," Highbaugh said.
The commission wants as many organizations to apply as possible, but the submission must be completed within 30 days of starting.
For questions regarding the grant funding process contact Alison Chavies by calling (502) 696-5638 or Scott Hornbuckle at (502) 234-4194 or by emailing kyoaac@ky.gov.
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