[Vision2020] Recovery center underway in Latah County

[Tom Hansen]

It's about effing time!

The community's need for a recovery center far outweighs any desire for another fast-food outlet.  Or doesn't anybody give a damn!

Thank you Darrel Keim and Tom Lamar for caring about the residents of our community.  It's time somebody did.

Courtesy of today's (May 18, 2015) Lewiston Tribune.

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Recovery center underway in Latah County
New behavioral health facility may open by end of summer
MOSCOW - A center for Latah County residents in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and those dealing with mental illness could open this summer.
Funding from the state for the center is expected in early July, and the Latah County commissioners have challenged a group of community members to open the recovery center as soon as possible after that, said Latah Recovery Center Advisory Board President Darrell Keim.
The Latah Recovery Center is one of four funded by the Idaho Legislature ,based on a $500,000 request from the Idaho Association of Counties. Latah, Ada, Canyon and Gem counties will each receive $125,000 from the Millennium Fund to cover the one-year startup costs for the centers.
"We want to get started as soon as possible," said Latah County Commissioner Tom Lamar.
The center is intended to serve as a hub of information and programming for Latah County residents in recovery for alcohol and drug addiction or mental illnesses, which are all categorized as behavioral health.
There are nearly 7,000 people in Latah County who either use drugs or suffer from a behavioral health disorder, according to 2013 community health needs assessment conducted by Gritman Medical Center and a 2012 national survey on drug use and health.
Keim said the advisory board is proposing a peer-support model for the center, relying on volunteers and others in recovery to administer programs.
"It provides a central community for folks that are in recovery," Keim said.
The recovery center board is in the process of drafting a proposal for the Latah County commissioners to review. Keim said the commissioners have been supportive and involved throughout the process, and the center requires their final approval. The specific day for the project's presentation to the commission has not been set.
"I think the sooner we get this started the better," Lamar said.
Work on the proposed recovery center has been ongoing for six months with Latah County and state officials, medical and legal professionals, and residents meeting regularly to brainstorm ideas. Draft bylaws outlining the center's mission and purpose have been developed, as well as a business plan.
Keim said the group elected a nine-member advisory board earlier this month that requires 50 percent, plus one, of its membership be people in recovery. The panel also includes former Latah County Commissioner Tom Stroschein, who along with Keim, first brought the idea of a recovery center to the area more than a year ago.
The recovery center will partner for its first year of operations with Sojourner's Alliance, a Moscow homeless shelter. The nonprofit will provide assistance with programming and administrative duties. Some of the programming being discussed includes tobacco cessation, nutrition, 12-step programs, coping skills, anger management, positive affirmations and tips for employment. Keim said the goal is to eventually have clients tell the center what classes they would like offered.
The center plans to utilize a telephone bank as a way to keep in touch with residents in outlying towns or rural Latah County. Clients can sign up to have someone at the center call and check on them for specific days when they know they struggle. The people-based approach is an attempt to recognize that there is no single solution for recovery that works for everyone, Keim said.
Lamar said the recovery center does differ from a 24-hour crisis center, which provides immediate assistance to people in an emergency situation. The Latah Recovery Center will assist residents who are working and wanting to be better.
One of the center's biggest hurdles to date has been finding a location. Keim said the center would ideally be located in downtown Moscow to allow for easier transportation options for future clients, but they have looked at about a dozen places and nothing has panned out.
Some of locations considered required extensive remodeling - which Keim said isn't in the center's budget - or they haven't met safety and accessibility requirement. Others simply do not want to rent to a recovery center.
"They've heard what we are and they don't want to talk to us anymore, which we expected," Keim said.
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Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares"
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
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