By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 218,000 Americans lost their lives due to drug overdoses in 2022 and 2023. Plenty of tragedy still surrounds many of the cases that do not end in death. That's why recovery is so important. As part of National Recovery Month, Rise Up Central Kansas Director Amy Ferguson highlighted some of the organization's programs during Tuesday's Barton County Commission meeting.
"We focus on prevention, intervention, and resilience," she said. "One of our services is called Don't Look Back Transport Program. That means we can help you get you treatment. We can help you get to your mental health meetings, 12-step meetings. Then there's a Get Your Life Back program. That's when sombody has lost their identification, it creates a giant barrier to being able to move on in their recovery, getting employment."
Rise Up recently partnered with Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) to help children with school or basic life needs. Rise Up has helped 34 children so far this year. Rise Up also offers Creating Resilience Through Connections training to teach how to provide support to children during a crisis. The four Oxford Houses in Barton County have also provided support.
"Oxford is so important to our community," Ferguson said. "It works miracles. A miracle doesn't mean it happens forever. Sometimes things happen and we step off. But Oxford is always there to pull them back in."
On Friday at 5 p.m. at Jack Kilby Square in downtown Great Bend, Rise Up will host a Recovery Out Loud, Every Voice Matters event. The evening will include Narcan training and a march, free food, 90-second shares, a Gone But Not Forgotten moment of Silence, and a red-ribbon circle to symbolize unity and hope and raise awareness for the destruction of drugs in America.