Governor Andy Beshear recently announced the state is partnering with the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky to provide addiction recovery services to underserved populations. $50,000 in grant funding was awarded to Appalshop through this partnership to help combat the stigma of asking for help.
Teddy Wimer, WMMT General Manager, said the station is using the money to help educate local and national populations about what substance use disorder actually looks like in Appalachia.
“We’re based in eastern Kentucky, and we believe that recovery and substance use disorders look a little different here, just based on geography and location, and just the way that our communities work. So, we’re kind of looking to complete this story about what it looks like in our part of the world and the country,” said Wimer.
Wimer also said Appalshop aims to help those without substance use disorders to better understand what the struggle is like.
“We are working with two interns who are based in Eastern Kentucky and also are in recovery currently. They struggled with substance use disorder in their personal lives and are now working on this project with us to now use media to help tell a different story about recovery and about substance use disorder,” said Wimer.
The interns are working together to create four episodes of a new program for the station called Mountain Talk, which will cover public affairs related to substance use and recovery. The interns will also work independently to each make a four-part podcast, talking about their own personal experiences. Wimer said so far, they are proud of the progress the interns have made learning the necessary audio skills very quickly.