Gov. Andy Beshear announced the state’s FindHelpNowKy.org website also helps Kentuckians find places to obtain the life-saving drug naloxone, which is used to reverse opioid overdose.
The website, which has been used over 240,000 times to help Kentuckians find addiction treatment facilities since its inception in 2018, now also includes a recovery housing locator, mental health treatment facilities and social services resources.
“We are making it easier for Kentuckians to find the life-saving help they need,” Gov. Beshear said. “While there is always more work to be done, we are taking another step forward on our mission to help our families fight and overcome addiction.”
The combination of stigma reduction, grant funding, proactive distribution by Community Based Organizations, local health departments, Recovery Community Centers and Regional Prevention Centers as well as over-the-counter availability has made naloxone more readily available.
The Governor noted that in addition to accessing each of these services through the central hub of FindHelpNowKy.org, they can also be individually reached at the following web addresses: FindNaloxoneNowKy.org; FindMentalHealthNowKy.org; and FindRecoveryHousingNowKy.org.
“People can and do recover from addiction and mental health issues,” said Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander. “And our goal of bundling these services in one central location will only make that journey to recovery easier across the continuum of risk.”
The collaborators on this website project are the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), the state’s Department for Public Health and Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID).
The mental health portion of the website will have more than 7,000 resources and is a near real-time search tool to find mental health treatment providers with available openings. There are additional search criteria specific to mental health treatment such as crisis stabilization, family therapy and individual therapy. The design and functionality of the site were vetted by individuals with lived experience, community mental health centers, mental health providers and 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline responders.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year. In Kentucky, 189,000 adults are reported as having a serious mental illness.
“Addiction and mental health issues affect Kentuckians in every county and every ZIP code,” said DBHDID Commissioner Dr. Katie Marks. “There should be no shame in seeking help and no barriers to finding evidence-based, compassionate care and treatment. These website updates address that at its core – getting our fellow Kentuckians on their road to recovery with resources that are close in proximity and right for them.”
In 2022, a 12-month survey of Kentuckians was conducted as part of an UnshameKy initiative, focused on changing knowledge, attitudes and beliefs toward people living with an opioid use disorder. Seventy-three percent of respondents stated they did not know where to obtain naloxone. FindNaloxoneNowKy.org addresses these findings by linking Kentuckians to nearby locations. This website provides overdose prevention and response training relevant to people most likely to witness overdose.
“There are thousands of public servants working to ensure access to health care, evidence-based treatment, recovery supports and harm reduction are available to Kentuckians,” said Department for Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack. “People ask us all the time, ‘What can I do? How can I help?’ This is what you can do – carry naloxone, such as Narcan, and talk to others about it. It’s easy to use, widely available, does not require a medical degree or special certification and it saves lives.”
“For individuals with substance-use disorders and their families, access to naloxone is imperative, and the FindHelpNow umbrella website will match them to local sources of naloxone,” said Dr. Terry Bunn, director of Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center. “Once they are ready for treatment, being able to find available slots for both substance-use disorder treatment and mental health disorder treatment with one website can be life-changing for individuals who have these disorders separately or co-occurring. Accessing available recovery house beds with the same umbrella website, as the next step in the continuum of care, is critical to build recovery capital and achieve long-term recovery.”
The Governor announced the website enhancements during the state’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline annual conference, which was held at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankfort. Leaders and crisis implementation specialists from community mental health centers across the state gathered for collaborative discussions and training on the delivery of 988 services.
Gov. Beshear believes mental health should be treated the same as physical health. In July 2022, the state launched the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which connects Kentuckians facing a risk of suicide, mental health distress or an addiction crisis to compassionate and trained counselors who can help. To date, 988 has received more than 67,500 calls, 18,500 text messages and 13,000 online chats from Kentuckians.
