Florence and Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky Partner on Substance Abuse Services
Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky (CHNK) and the City of Florence partnered to expand access to substance use and mental health services, with CHNK CEO Rick Wurth accepting a $100,000 check from the Florence City Council on August 26. The funding comes from pharmaceutical opioid settlements, not tax dollars, with restrictions limiting use to treatment for substance use disorders and related qualifying purposes.
Wurth characterized untreated mental health issues and untreated substance use disorder as “two fundamental poisons in our groundwater as Kentuckians.” Chief Strategic Officer Julie Raia explained that barriers to care include difficulty navigating which providers offer services, transportation challenges, and insurance coverage uncertainty. “When cities and counties have the funding to reach out to providers like CHNK Behavioral Health, the first thing we’re able to do is expand that access and create that easier path to mental health,” Raia said.
CHNK provides a wide range of residential and outpatient services for both children and adults. The organization recently expanded its footprint in the region: it opened a new location in Grant County in August of the previous year and partnered with Northern Kentucky University to help train the next generation of mental health professionals. Raia expressed hope for continued partnerships, stating: “We just absolutely have to expand these services and partner with our counties to do that.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/finding-solutions/florence-childrens-home-of-northern-kentucky-team-up-to-address-substance-abuse-mental-health-issues