Local Resources
Casey’s Law
The Matthew Casey Wethington Act provides a means of intervening with someone who is unable to recognize his or her need for treatment due to their impairment. This law allows parents, relatives and/or friends to petition the court for treatment on behalf of the substance abuse-impaired person. Denial and distorted thinking impedes a person’s ability to make a rational decision. The “bottom” for many is death. Addiction is a progressive, life-threatening disease. The best hope of survival for a person who is substance abuse impaired is intervention. Studies show that involuntary treatment can be just as successful as voluntary treatment.
Celebrate Recovery
Celebrate Recovery is Faith-based organization that seeks to support and link recovering abusers and their families with other people who are struggling with similar habits, hurts and hang-ups. There are several churches within Laurel County that have Celebrate Recovery programs: Hawk Creek, Cross Roads, Corinth Baptist, Souls Harbor and Grace Fellowship.
Dept. for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
The Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellection Disabilities’ mission is to provide leadership, in partnership with others, to prevent disability, build resilience in individuals and their communities, and facilitate recovery for people whose lives have been affected by mental illness, intellectual disability or other developmental disability, or substance abuse.
Find Help Now KY
Find Help Now KY helps locate addiction treatment beds, openings and resources across the state in real time. They work with hundreds of facilities across the state to bring you up-to-date and accurate information about their treatment offerings and availability.
Hope and Help Kentucky
Kentuckians struggling with a substance use disorder, either themselves or within their families, can call 1-833-8KY-HELP (1-833-859-4357) toll-free 8:30am-5:30pm to speak with a live specialist about treatment options and available resources. The specialist will conduct a brief screening assessment in order to connect callers with the most relevant treatment services as quickly as possible. Options include everything from medication-assisted treatment to faith-based care, and the specialist will help callers work through all the variables, such as location and cost.
KSP Angel Initiative
The Kentucky State Police Angel Initiative is a pro-active approach offering an alternative escape to those battling addiction. Under this initiative, anyone battling addiction can come to any KSP post and get help finding a treatment center. No questions asked. Just show up at any of the 16 KSP posts across the Commonwealth. You can call in ahead of time to schedule a meeting. An “Angel” at the post will meet you and will connect you with one of the many nearby treatment centers with health professionals that are experts in helping individuals with drug addictions.
Prescription Drug Disposal Locations
To make it easier for citizens to dispose of their expired or unwanted medications – both prescription and over-the-counter – medication drop boxes are available in Laurel County and throughout the Operation UNITE service region.
Recovery Kentucky
Recovery Kentucky is a program that helps Kentuckians recover from chronic substance abuse and addiction, and move toward a life of sobriety and productivity. It supplies supportive housing — a stable place to live, and a support system to help men and women recovering from substance abuse and addiction. Recovery Kentucky provides services to qualifying low-income clients, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.
Syringe Exchange Program
The Laurel County Health Department’s Harm Reduction Program is a comprehensive community-based prevention and intervention program designed to help prevent the transmission of blood-borne infections such as HIV and HCV. The program serves individuals who engage in high-risk activities as injection drug use. While the best way to reduce the risk of acquiring and transmitting disease through injection drug use is to stop injecting drugs, for people who do not stop injecting drugs, using sterile injection equipment for each injection can reduce the risk of acquiring and transmitting infections and prevent outbreaks. The program also serves as a bridge to services such as HCV and HIV testing and treatment for substance abuse disorder.
Operation Unite
Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatments and Education) works to rid communities of illegal drug use through undercover narcotics investigations, coordinating treatment for substance abusers, providing support to families and friends of substance abusers, and educating the public about the dangers of using drugs. Laurel County has a local UNITE Coalition that meets the second Wednesday of each month at First Christian Church at Noon.
Operation UNITE also offers “Give Me A Reason” Drug Test Kits (GMAR) in Laurel County. This prevention initiative provides free saliva-based drug testing kits to parents or caregivers. The non-invasive test is then given within the privacy of your home with results available in approximately 10 minutes.
