A new women-only addiction recovery center has opened in Morehead.
Hearing laughter in the house for the first time and reuniting kids with their families is what drives The Blue Sky Recovery Center director Cassey Jones in the journey of transforming lives.
“If you’ve worked in this field you know what it’s like to hear a recovering addict get their laugh back,” said Jones. “It’s something special.”
The house has been open for 30 days but Jones considered the ribbon cutting on August 28 as their official grand opening.
“As a city, as a mother, as an elected official,” said Laura White-Brown, Morehead’s first female major. “We thank all of you for the work you do to improve our community every day.”
The 16-bed facility, located along Cranston Rd, is meant to be the first stop for women going into the recovery program.
“When they come in a lot of them are still withdrawing,” said Jones. “They are here to stabilize.”
Jones said they will be given the opportunity to clear their head in a more secluded location with staff to help guide them through self-love before going into the community.
When they are ready to go onto the next step, they will move to their phase two facility on Vernon Circle. in downtown Morehead so they can be more involved. It is meant to mimic the process by The Edgewater Recovery centers house on Lions Ave.
“This is the only way that we are going to solve the opioid crisis,” said Ashley Adkins, Rowan County’s Assistant Attorney. “We have to fight it person by person, day by day.”
The Blue Sky Recovery Center began through the vision of John David Elam and his wife, Myra. Elam asked Jason Jones, director of the Edgewater Recovery Center, to help with the new facility. Originally it was going to be another mens center before they decided to turn it into a female-only facility.
"When they started to present the idea of opening a female facility they didn't know who they were going to have run in," said Cassey Jones, who has prior experience in the field.
Democratic Minority Leader Rocky Adkins spoke during the event about his position of sending people suffering from addiction into recovery centers verses behind bars.
“It’s been an honor for me to try to support legislation that I know is going to be helpful,” said Adkins. “To put money in the budget to help families that can’t afford to go into a recovery center for treatment.”
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