Governor Andy Beshear visited Morehead Tuesday afternoon to speak at the Resource Recovery Expo that took place at the Morehead Conference Center.
The expo, hosted by St. Claire Healthcare and Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, marked the first event to come from the recent partnership between the two organizations. Representatives said the collaboration aims to not only provide medical care for those in addiction recovery, but also employment opportunities for those who complete MCCC’s rehabilitation program.
Governor Beshear said partnerships like this one enable change for more than just one individual.
“There is an opportunity not just to get people better, but to create great lives and a great future for them, which means a better future for their kids, and their kids’ kids, and their kids’ kids’ kids because what we’re doing here today is about intragenerational change,” he said.
Beshear added the partnership between SCH and MCCC is one of many across the Commonwealth that ensures anyone struggling with substance use disorder can get the help they need.
“Now we see more people working together, more groups, more willingness to open the door to a hospital, to different treatment groups and say, ‘What can we do together?’ It’s more healthcare services coming into communities, like the facility coming into Morgan County that St. Claire is expanding to,” he said. “A chance where, whether you live in eastern Kentucky or whether you live in west Louisville, you don’t have to drive two hours to see your doctor to get the care you need.”
Beshear said the Commonwealth has more treatment beds per capita than any other state in the nation, and Kentucky is one of only eight states to see a decrease in overdose deaths in 2022.