U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will visit Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky (CHNK) on March 24 to address the region’s response to the addiction epidemic gripping the nation and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The visit will include a roundtable with law enforcement officials meeting at CHNK’s Homan Event Center located at the agency’s main campus in Devou Park.
The visit is tied to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) legislation which passed the Senate earlier in the month. The legislation will help local communities address substance use and addiction on multiple fronts including prevention, education, treatment and recovery programs, and additional resources for law enforcement.
According to a recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 8.8 percent of Kentucky adolescents (ages 12-17) have participated in illegal drug use and continue to use the same substances as adults. In the same survey, 82.5 percent of youth who use drugs and 91.8 percent of youth who use alcohol do not receive treatment.
Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky is the only provider in the Northern Kentucky region that has a continuum of behavioral health and substance use services specifically designed for youth and adolescents, including a residential substance use treatment unit which opened in March 2015.
CHNK is also one of only three private providers of the Children’s Alliance of Kentucky that have both a Behavioral Health Services Organization (BHSO) license as well as an Alcohol and Other Drug Entity (AODE) license.
Once an orphanage, the agency has significantly increased staffing to accommodate new treatment lines, including 17 employees who are either currently independently licensed or who are pending certification as Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors.
According to CHNK Chief Executive Officer Rick Wurth, having McConnell visit is a special honor to the 134 year-old Covington institution.
“Sen. McConnell’s visit will hopefully shine a spotlight on the critical need of providing top-notch services to Northern Kentucky families suffering from addiction,” says Wurth. “Although the private sector supports a substantial part of the agency’s operations, we will need ongoing support from the state and federal level to better address these treatment needs.”
Since 2012, CHNK has served 444 children and family members with a substance use disorder as either a primary or co-occurring presenting issue. An additional 400 clients have been identified as at-risk for substance use, based upon other risk factors.
Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky is a behavioral health services provider, specializing in behavioral health, mental health, and substance use treatment for youth and families. Programs include Residential (campus-based) Treatment, Intensive Outpatient, and Outpatient (community-based, school-based, and in-home) Services. An experienced team of healthcare professionals utilizes an array of treatment interventions to best meet the needs of each individual youth and family. Personalized intervention plans and continuity of care are emphasized. Accredited by the national Council on Accreditation, CHNK has served the Northern Kentucky community and Commonwealth of Kentucky for over 134 years.