Efforts to curb substance abuse in Bartholomew County took a significant step forward Tuesday.
The City of Columbus gave its final approval to an ordinance approving funding for a men’s residential substance abuse program known as Recovery Enables a Life for Men, or REALM.
That followed approval the prior week by the Bartholomew County Council to cover its half of the funding for the program that it is splitting with the city.
The city is paying $120,683 for the program. The county is contributing $48,750 from its general fund — although that amount will be repaid by the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) in Bartholomew County — and a $85,978 grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute to pay for one position in the REALM program.
With both funding commitments met, the REALM program is funded for October through December this year, and all of 2019.
This is significant for three reasons:
- It’s the first funding commitment by local government on ideas coming out of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress initiative in Bartholomew County
- The funding process used for the first time the Substance Abuse Advisory and Accountability Committee to evaluate the request
- This creates a much-needed and long awaited men’s treatment program in Columbus, which will be modeled after the established and successful Women Recovering with a Purpose (WRAP) program locally.
The year-long REALM program allows up to 15 non-violent offenders to be in the program at any one time, and includes four to six months of intensive residential treatment for starters at the county’s Community Corrections Center.
Substance abuse has gained a tighter grip on the community in recent years, particularly with opioids. The fatal overdoses that have occurred in the community demonstrate just how harmful addiction can be — on individuals and families.
Measures taken such as the ASAP initiative and the REALM program are welcome and positive steps toward reducing addiction locally.
