Louisa City Council Votes to Support Recovery Ready Community Certification

ADDICTION RECOVERY CARE (ARC) Representative Jason Merrick, discussed Recovery Ready Community Certification at Louisa City Council’s regular meeting, July 11. BSN photo/Brenda Hardwick

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

LOUISA —Louisa City Council voted during their regular meeting on July 11, to approve a resolution supporting Recovery Ready Community Certification, which must also go before the Lawrence County Fiscal Court for approval.

The resolution states that the City of Louisa in collaboration with Lawrence County recognizes the importance of promoting recovery and supporting individuals and families affected by substance use disorders.

The Recovery Ready Communities project is a statewide initiative designed to help communities prepare for and respond to substance use disorders and related issues and to provide a framework for communities to build partnerships and develop plans to prevent and reduce substance use disorders, promote recover and support individuals and families affected by addiction.

The resolution says that becoming a Recovery Ready Community will help the city of Louisa and Lawrence County better address substance use disorders and related issues and support long-term recovery for its residents.

Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) representative Jason Merrick was present at the meeting to explain how it would benefit the community and agreed that he would volunteer to be the coordinator for the program, as is required in the resolution.

“This will create opportunities for funding for the county and city,” Merrick said. “It will also make available resources more efficient.”

The resolution said the city and county will work collaboratively with local partners, including but not limited to healthcare providers, treatment providers, law enforcement, schools and faith-based organizations to implement evidence-based strategies and best practices to prevent and reduce substance use disorders and promote recovery.

A motion to approve the resolution was made by councilman Caleb Farley, with a second by councilman Joey McClanahan and Coty Roe and Keith Chaffin in favor, with Councilwoman Rose Lester voting against it.