Un programa estatal en Kentucky tiene como objetivo proporcionar credenciales y vías para una carrera en trabajo social para las personas en recuperación por trastornos de uso de sustancias. Los defensores dicen que el programa Career Ladders in Mental and Behavioral Health o CLIMB-Health es vital para que el estado impulse la salud mental y los servicios sociales.

Carl Wilson, miembro sénior de desarrollo e iniciativas de atención médica del Consejo de Educación Secundaria de Kentucky dice que también ofrece oportunidades para las personas en recuperación, para ganarse la vida y ampliar sus horizontes profesionales.

"Con este programa se pueden obtener tanto credenciales profesionales como un empleo a nivel profesional," asegura Wilson. "Por lo tanto, el programa ofrece a las personas con experiencia una vía personalizada."

Los colegios comunitarios de todo el estado, que atienden a más de 100,000 residentes, trabajan ahora con personas que han recibido la certificación estatal de especialistas en apoyo entre pares, para transferir su formación a licenciaturas en Trabajo Social. El programa CLIMB-Health comienza en los campus del Sistema de Colegios Comunitarios y Técnicos de Kentucky en los condados con mayor número de muertes por sobredosis.

Wilson dice que los residentes de los 120 condados en programas de tribunales de drogas enfrentan obstáculos para encontrar empleo.

"Cuando llegan a la entrevista de trabajo, y el empleador verifica sus antecedentes, y ve un problema de adicción, en la mayoría de los casos, se ve la participación de la justicia, y se quedan sin oportunidades," reconoce Wilson.

Agrega que el objetivo es llenar los vacíos urgentes en el sistema de salud del estado e impulsar la estabilidad económica a largo plazo para las personas que viven en recuperación.

"Tenemos aproximadamente entre 50,000 y 60,000 trabajadores desaprovechados para nuestra mano de obra en Kentucky que no han tenido la oportunidad de contar con un programa especializado que este dirigido a ellos."

Mientras que las tasas de sobredosis en otros estados están disminuyendo, Kentucky se encuentra entre los diez estados con mayor número de muertes por sobredosis de drogas en el país, según el CDC.

La Fundación Lumina proporcionó apoyo para este informe.



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By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration

After they were long considered paraphernalia, fentanyl test strips are now officially legal in Indiana.

According to recent data, fentanyl is responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths in the state. Until this month, if someone was found with the lifesaving strips, it would be up to the local prosecutor to decide if they would face charges for violating the state's paraphernalia laws.

A bipartisan effort changed that reality by passing House Enrolled Act No. 1167.

"Any resident should and can access test strips," Director of Harm Reduction at Overdose Lifeline Breanna Hicks said. "Our former paraphernalia law said that anything that tests the 'presence, efficacy or effectiveness of a substance, an illicit substance,' could be considered paraphernalia. So, while fentanyl test strips only test for presence, that was a gray area in law in jurisdictions across Indiana."

Local harm reduction organizations say the law fueled fear for people hoping to distribute the strips. The concern prompted them to push for change.

"There's this false narrative that access to test strips are going to encourage substance use or encourage drug use, in general, especially to populations that are younger," Hicks said. "However, that's just not true, harm reduction is a proven practice that allows for individuals to make healthier and better decisions."

Hicks says the strips can be used to test drugs purchased off the street.

When the small strips are submerged in water, they can detect the synthetic drug in 30 seconds to two minutes. According to the Marion County Coroner, the drug was found in over 90% of opioid overdoses in Indianapolis last year.

"Fentanyl overdoses are now the number one cause of death for anybody age 18 to 45," Hicks said. "Indiana falls in that range as well, to where we're seeing fentanyl being the most prevalent cause of accidental overdose death."

Overdose Lifeline is one of the organizations distributing the test strips. To request strips, click here.


Kyla Russell wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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Kentucky's latest drug overdose fatality report showed a drop in deaths and for the first time, a decline in deaths among Black Kentuckians.

Groups across the Commonwealth have been working to increase access to harm reduction services.

Latosha Perry, executive director of the Louisville-based nonprofit EmpowHer with Open Arms, said her organization provides prevention services to adolescents as well as group and individual therapy for adults who are typically required to be in therapy in order to see their children.

"Some struggling with addiction or just now coming out of incarceration, they don't have the money to cover those expenses," Perry explained. "It typically decreases the rate of them reunifying with their family."

Overdose deaths in the Commonwealth decreased for the third year in a row, with a slightly more than 30% decrease in 2024, compared with the previous year. Still, more than 1,400 Kentuckians died of a drug overdose.

Ashley Smith, founder and executive director of the nonprofit agribusiness Black Soil Kentucky, said her organization has distributed Narcan units and provided training to farmers so they are equipped to act as first responders.

"We have worked to pair education outreach and technical assistance with direct produce distributions across rural and urban communities," Smith pointed out.

Both organizations received grant funding from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky for their harm reduction efforts.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357) to get assistance connecting with a treatment center. Information about treatment programs is available at FindHelpNowKy.org, and information about how to obtain naloxone is available at FindNaloxoneNowKy.org.


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As Women's Health Month winds down, public health officials in Minnesota are joining the chorus of professionals warning about the prevalence of alcohol misuse, and the added health risks for women.

Problem drinking among women is on the rise, according to the National Institutes of Health.

When compared to men, women have had larger increases in alcohol-related emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the past two decades.

Division of Epidemiology & Community Health at the University of Minnesota Professor Toben Nelson said men still drink more, but agrees it's a pressing issue for women.

He noted the significant health consequences if they develop a problem.

"A real concern for younger women - when alcohol is involved, the risks for interpersonal violence are very significant," said Nelson. "Also, injuries related to falling, that is certainly a concern as one ages."

According to federal health agencies, frequent alcohol consumption is also linked to a greater chance of developing breast cancer.

It's recommended that adult women of legal drinking age limit their alcohol intake to one drink or fewer each day.

The NIH website Rethinking Drinking has information on signs of a problem, and how to manage and respond to these situations.

For broader prevention work, Nelson encouraged bars, restaurants, and policymakers to embrace effective strategies.

"Responsible beverage service training in places that serve alcohol," said Nelson, "and also restrictions on alcohol outlet density."

He was referring to limits on approving the number of liquor stores and similar outlets in a given area.

UnitedHealthcare's Chief Medical Officer for Women's Health Dr. Lisa Saul pointed to how alcohol is marketed toward women these days.

"Terminology," said Saul, "like 'it's wine o'clock,' or 'mommy juice,' - those sorts of things have really normalized the consumption of alcohol in ways that we didn't really see before."