The Rowan County Fiscal Court recently approved a $22,000 grant to help a local organization combat the opioid epidemic. Recovery Rowan County, located in Morehead, is an organization aimed at making recovery from opioid abuse accessible and affordable.
Harry Clark, Judge Executive of Rowan County, said the money that is to be sent to the organization was awarded to the county in opioid settlements. He added the money can only be used in very specific scenarios.
“The opioid settlement money from the pharmacies, they’ve got our hands pretty well tied to it. You can’t just do anything you want with it,” said Clark. “It has to have something to do with recovery or it has to have something to do with training to prevent opioid use.”
Previously, Recovery Rowan County was funded by federal dollars. However, with the government slashing billions in the way of grants and aid, Clark said the organization is relying on local sources to raise necessary funding.
“The city is supposed to match this dollar amount. This is to keep them going until the grant is either completely gone or it gets refreshed,” said Clark.
Information about Recovery Rowan County can be found at rowanrecovery.org.