Madison County-based nonprofit receives $300K grant to combat overdoses

WEKU | By John McGary

https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s362/audio/2023/08/kentucky-river-foothills-grant.mp3

A Madison County-based nonprofit was just awarded a 300-thousand dollar grant by the Biden Administration to combat fentanyl and other opioid overdoses. Karen Atkins is the public information officer for Kentucky River Foothills. She said the grant will allow them to continue a program aimed at helping men in jail with substance abuse disorders.

“What this particular grant will do, will provide additional peer support services and case management services to men for men to help them sustain their recovery.”

Atkins says the program supports 50 Madison County men annually in an effort to help them transition from substance abuse disorder and jail to a home and a job. The grant is a portion of 7-point-2 million dollars in awards to rural communities in Kentucky announced Thursday – which also happened to be International Overdose Awareness Day.

“I would, I would like to add, that everything that we’re trying to do is to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with overdoses.”

Atkins said the mens’ peer support program and nearly 40 others Kentucky River Foothills offers are making a difference.

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