Jennifer Moonsong
WCLU News Director
The Scottsville Police Department has partnered with Victory Hill Dream Center to provide leave behind bags for people struggling with drug addiction.
“This was initiated by Victory Hill Dream Center, and it is a grant funded activity,” said Chief Tabor of the Scottsville Police Department.
The leave behind bags, or HOPE bags, contain Narcan, drug test strips, drug disposal bags, and flyers full of information on local substance-abuse treatment options.
“It’s a good thing considering the drug issues we have in our region,” Tabor said.
Amy Payne, Director of the Dream Center says this particular project was especially close to her heart, because she is herself a recovered addict.
“This is an idea we had at the Dream Center to saturate our community with narcan,” Payne said. Narcan is a fentanyl antagonist in the form of a a nasal spray.
In order to do so they collaborated with KORE (Kentucky Opioid Relief Effort), the Allen County Health Dept. and UK to obtain narcan and other needed items.
“A family might be left with residual substances so we provide something that deactivates drugs, and fentanyl test strips, too,” Payne said.
She added that the public library was also involved in helping gather resources and information.
“It was really a community effort, all we did was have the idea,” Payne said.
The initial 100 bags have been distributed between EMS, the ACSO, and the SPD.
Payne plans to check with the three agencies periodically to see what the usage has been, and when more leave behind bags are needed. This activity is one of many responses across the region to the opioid crisis.
