$23,000 of Drug-Free Community Grant Funds Going to Scottsburg

Criminal Justice Services & Law Enforcement, Treatment & Intervention, and Prevention & Education.

Photo Courtesy of Scottsburg Police Department

(Scottsburg, Ind.) - As the recognized substance abuse Local Coordinating Coalition (LCC) in Scott County, CEASe administers the community drug fund created by state statute. It is a system by which fines, assessed and collected through the court system from specific drug and alcohol offenses, are released back into the community as awarded grants to support agencies and providers. This allows these recipients to identify and expand services to those individuals being adversely affected by substances in the areas of prevention/education, treatment/intervention and justice/law enforcement. This year CEASe distributed over $23,000 of Drug-Free Community funds in the form of community grants in the following three areas.

Criminal Justice Services & Law Enforcement

Scottsburg Police Department Substance Abuse and Demand Reduction/Awareness: Funding will be used to pay officers overtime to work substance abuse patrols, educational service to local schools and/or organizations, and to help train officers on substance abuse reduction/awareness. As one of the lead agencies in dealing with substance abuse awareness and reduction in Scott County, they have been able to do this through various programs in the schools and other organizations. They believe with increased substance abuse patrols, educational programs, and increased narcotics enforcement, they can make Scott County a safer community for all the citizens. Funding will be used to pay for officer overtime pay.

Scott County THRIVE Opioid Overdose Response Project: Peer Recovery Coaches will be used to assist law enforcement and EMS going on overdose calls. The desire is to have a trusted peer presence in order to bridge the gap between officers and individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). The Peer Coach will accompany the individual to the ER, stay with the person throughout the time in the ER, and provide aftercare for the individual after being discharged from the ER. Funding will be used to pay a Peer Recovery Coach Coordinator and Peer Recovery Coaches.

Treatment & Intervention

Centerstone Substance Use Referral Program will provide a new entry point for individuals to access treatment for substance abuse through Foundations Family Medicine by significantly increasing the percentage of individuals visiting Centerstone for an initial assessment. Patients will have the opportunity to meet with a Recovery Navigator, as well as receive an introduction to treatment, learn about research-based treatment programs such as MAT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and help them feel comfortable in seeking treatment or participating in recovery groups and other community programs. Funding will be used to pay for a Recovery Navigator at Foundations Family Medicine.

LifeSpring Health Systems Jail Substance Abuse Program will provide group counseling services in the Scott County Jail to target moderate to high-risk substance users identified through the assessment. The goal will be to support initial education to introduce the inmate to substance use treatment and encourage continued substance use treatment when released from jail into the community. The group that will be conducted in the Scott County Jail will be “Integrating Dialectical Behavior Therapy and the 12 Steps.” This is an evidence-based group program and incorporated Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Twelve-Step facilitation. They will be given the opportunity to continue with the group treatment in the community once released. Funding will be used for a salaried therapist position to cover time for preparation, assessment, and facilitation of the group.

LifeSpring Health Systems ACEs Survey Follow-Up will allow a licensed LifeSpring Therapist to accompany Dr. Melissa Fry on a Saturday in the Scott County Jail while she surveys inmates on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Additionally, it will provide for a therapist to be available during the following week to provide any aftercare that might be needed due to potential residual effects as a result of exploring prior trauma during the ACEs Survey. Funding will be used to pay a licensed therapist for 8 hours during surveying, as well as for follow-up aftercare.

Still Water Individual and Family Therapy Services, Inc. Adolescent Substance Abuse will provide incentive tokens for negative drug screens, attending scheduled appointments, participation in prosocial activities, and successful completion of the program. Funding will be used to cover some urine drug screens and program incentives.

National Youth Advocate Program YMCA Coping Skills Program in order to get the AOD, HB, and Foster youth populations engaged in constructive community resources offering positive connections and recreational opportunities. Funding will be used to cover 2 months of YMCA membership fees.

Prevention & Education

Just Say No Club is offered to any fourth and fifth-grade public school students of Scott County School District 2. The goals are to learn about and support each other in living drug-free lives, to learn and practice ways to resist negative peer pressure, to perform community service, and to have fun participating in safe activities. Each year the clubs plan both individual and collective activities for the students of the four elementary schools. Members from all four clubs enjoy a social outing (where students learn about healthy choices). At least one of the events is also a community service project helping with local community needs (Clearinghouse, etc) as well as teaching the importance of community service to our youth. Funds will be used to put on a social event at the roller skating rink, craft supplies for making posters, and drinks/snacks for one Fall and one Spring after school event.

EMPOWER Youth Coalition/The Amazing Shake is a dynamic and exciting live competition, created by the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta that rallies leaders and role models in a school’s community together to teach students about professional skills for success. This aligns with the essential goals and positive behavior implementation systems that are in place at both Scottsburg and Austin Middle Schools, positive behavior traits, as well as the speaking and listening standards from IDOE. Participation in this event will help to develop resilience in our county’s middle school-aged youth. Funds will be used to purchase ID holders, lanyards for ID holders, welcome banners/signs, station banners, pipe and drape booth set-up, Conference Room and Breakout Room Rental.

Scott County School District 2 Why Try Resilience Training will be implemented with the middle school 8th graders in order to give them the platform to explore the concepts of vulnerability and resilience as it relates to their high school goals/post-high school life goals. The goal is to empower youth for personal success by developing relationships, as students identify personal goals and obstacles, experience failure, and learn how to recovery using reality-based opportunities to build resilience goals. Funding will be used to send two people to ‘Why Try’ Training.

New Creation Addiction Ministries received funding for treatment transportation at $.40 per mile to cover the cost of transporting Scott County residents in need of treatment to the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Centers or other Treatment Centers in Indiana.

4-H Impact Club will use art to educate students and give them a voice to promote healthy lifestyles to their peers and the community. Discussions of perspective, healthy living, alternative activities to drugs/alcohol, what recovery looks like and why we should support those in recovery, etc. Students will use an online desktop publisher to create their posters that raise awareness and celebrate the items discussed and posters will be displayed and regularly rotated in businesses and other Scott County public spaces, as well as online in youth-supported organizations social media pages. Funding will be used to pay for poster printing, poster board and sleeve, command tape, copyright releases for images, and computer room rental.

Scott County THRIVE (Recovery Community Organization) Peer Training and Education will be further educating and promoting peer services in Scott County to help those affected by substance use disorder by helping pay for ICAADA’s Courses including Ethics Course, MATS Course, and Smart Recovery Training.

CEASe meets the first Thursday of every month from 11:45 am to 1 pm in the Scott County EMS Training Institute. Everyone is welcome to attend.