Federal grants for ASAP will help reduce deaths

Editorial originally featured in The Republic.

Local efforts to help remove the shackles of addiction from people in our area got a big boost recently. The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) received two federal grants of about $2 million apiece over the next several years for targeted programs.

The Republic’s Andy East for years has covered a rising tide of fatal drug overdoses that, mercifully, appears to be receding. As East reported in August, Bartholomew County officials are cautiously optimistic that overdose deaths will be significantly lower in 2023 after increasing record numbers year after year.

Much credit is due to the work of ASAP and local leaders who recognized a duty to address this crisis head-on. Grants announced last week by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are sure to help these hopeful efforts.

“One of the grants includes about $400,000 per year for up to five years to enhance operations at the Bartholomew County Adult Drug Recovery Court and Family Recovery Court,” East reported.

This money will allow the problem-solving courts to serve more people and provide more help in the form of peer recovery coaching, help clients get insurance, job training, transportation, childcare and rent and utility deposits, officials said.

Also, the grant aims to help the courts increase the number of negative random drug screens and the number of people who complete substance use treatment or mental health treatment programs.

In short, this extra money will fund services and meet real-life needs, which will help more people overcome addiction, ASAP Executive Director Sherri Jewett said.

Another grant will provide up to $2 million over five years to support activities by ASAP that aim to prevent substance misuse and promote mental health in Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings Counties, Jewett said, through social media posts and direct community education, among others.

“We want to provide education and really just want people to think and understand the impact of their mental wellness and how that potentially can positively influence their overall decision-making,” Jewett said.

And in that regard, ASAP also recently launched an initiative called Rethinking Wellness that the alliance said is “designed to help individuals make better choices to avoid developing dangerous health conditions and diseases related to substance misuse.”

Workshops, messaging and events will aim to reduce drug-related deaths, excessive drinking, and depression diagnoses in Bartholomew County, all of which are higher than average in Indiana.

In just a little less than six years — with buy-in from the community — ASAP has developed into a force for change to meet the ongoing drug and overdose crisis at the human level. These federal grants definitely help, but even more critical for ASAP’s success is community support and recognition of its positive, life-changing work.

If you or someone you know needs help with substance abuse disorder, or if you’d just like to learn more, the first step is visiting asapbc.org or calling ASAP at 812-418-8705.