Article by: Jule Hubbard/Journal Patriot
Over $1 million a year is being pumped into Wilkes and nearby counties to address substance abuse through grants awarded to Project Lazarus, said Fred Brason, president and CEO of the Moravian Falls-based nonprofit.
Speaking at the Wilkes State of Addiction Community Forum at the Stone Center in North Wilkesboro on Feb. 28, Brason said the grants funded efforts involving multiple organizations.
He emphasized the importance of a cooperative effort at the forum, which featured presentations by representatives of Wilkes Medical Center, the Wilkes Department of Social Services, Daymark Recovery Services, Vaya Health, Wilkes County Adult Probation and the Wilkes Sheriff’s Office.
Read more: Broad-based, well funded effort addresses addiction
On Sept. 18, 2019, North Carolina's Partnership for Community Well-Being is celebrating the success of strengthening communities in our state through #CareForNC Day.
The #CareForNC campaign advocates for a stronger North Carolina through effective supports for people living with mental health challenges, substance abuse disorders and intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD). #CareForNC Day is an opportunity for everyone touched or impacted by the public behavioral health system to make their voices heard.
DayMark Recovery Services, a provider of behavioral health services in the Triad and statewide, has received a $391,498 grant to bolster telemedicine access in rural communities.
DayMark has its Forsyth County offices in the Cardinal Wellness Center at 650 Highland Ave., Suite 100, in Winston-Salem.
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners gave the go-ahead Thursday for a pilot program to reduce the county jail population by helping inmates with addictions to opioids, heroin and alcohol.
The commissioners unanimously approved a $70,000 contract between Forsyth County and Insight Human Services Inc. for Insight to provide a program coordinator for the District Attorney’s Treatment Alternatives program, known as DATA.
The contract is for the first year of the pilot program.
All across the country, those who struggle from mental health and drug addictions fill jail cells and detention centers, addressing a symptom rather than the root cause of the problem.
Cabarrus County has joined a national initiative to reverse the trend. Stepping Up, which the county implemented at the detention center in January, seeks to meet those convicted or accused of crimes where they’re at, connecting them with resources for treatment and recovery.
Read more: Stepping Up Initiative Connects Inmates with Mental Health Services