The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service has received a two-year grant to further its statewide efforts in opioid prevention and recovery, Katie Pratt reports for UK.
The more than $1 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will allow the program to expand its efforts to Southern and Western Kentucky.
As part of the grant, the program will offer an Addiction 101 course to discuss the science behind addiction, including genetic and hereditary risk factors for developing addiction disorder. Pratt reports that the course will be geared toward health-care workers, extension agents and community leaders and will be led by Alex Elswick, UK extension specialist for substance use prevention and recovery.
“We want to remove the stigmas associated with addiction, so health care workers and community members feel more comfortable and equipped to help those struggling with opioid use addiction and recovery,” Elswick told Pratt.
Other grant programs will include administering an evidence-based substance abuse program for middle-school students, called Botvin LifeSkills Training and an art program to provide individuals with a therapeutic outlet to express their feelings related to substance use and addiction, she writes.
In addition, Pratt reports that the extension program will be expanding its financial-education curriculum that specifically addresses money issues faced by those in recovery. The program, called "Recovering your Finances," was developed by Elswick and Kelly May, a UK senior extension associate. It is being piloted in Mercer County and will be offered in Boyd, Bourbon, Knox and Leslie counties through a separate grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Pratt notes that many of these programs grant will build on the extension service’s existing programs to reduce opioid use and help recovery efforts, including efforts to teach gardening, nutrition and life skills to those in recovery, and support programs for families with a loved one with a substance-use disorder. Extension will also continue to offer support to local community health coalitions that address substance-use prevention and recovery, Pratt reports.
“The Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service is currently recognized as a leader among the land-grant university system for outreach efforts targeting substance use prevention and recovery,” Jennifer Hunter, assistant director for family and consumer sciences extension and one of the co-leaders on the grant, told Pratt. “We are excited to be able to continue to expand our educational efforts and enhance the level of resources available at the community level.”
As part of the grant, the program will offer an Addiction 101 course to discuss the science behind addiction, including genetic and hereditary risk factors for developing addiction disorder. Pratt reports that the course will be geared toward health-care workers, extension agents and community leaders and will be led by Alex Elswick, UK extension specialist for substance use prevention and recovery.
“We want to remove the stigmas associated with addiction, so health care workers and community members feel more comfortable and equipped to help those struggling with opioid use addiction and recovery,” Elswick told Pratt.
Other grant programs will include administering an evidence-based substance abuse program for middle-school students, called Botvin LifeSkills Training and an art program to provide individuals with a therapeutic outlet to express their feelings related to substance use and addiction, she writes.
In addition, Pratt reports that the extension program will be expanding its financial-education curriculum that specifically addresses money issues faced by those in recovery. The program, called "Recovering your Finances," was developed by Elswick and Kelly May, a UK senior extension associate. It is being piloted in Mercer County and will be offered in Boyd, Bourbon, Knox and Leslie counties through a separate grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Pratt notes that many of these programs grant will build on the extension service’s existing programs to reduce opioid use and help recovery efforts, including efforts to teach gardening, nutrition and life skills to those in recovery, and support programs for families with a loved one with a substance-use disorder. Extension will also continue to offer support to local community health coalitions that address substance-use prevention and recovery, Pratt reports.
“The Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service is currently recognized as a leader among the land-grant university system for outreach efforts targeting substance use prevention and recovery,” Jennifer Hunter, assistant director for family and consumer sciences extension and one of the co-leaders on the grant, told Pratt. “We are excited to be able to continue to expand our educational efforts and enhance the level of resources available at the community level.”
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