HUNTSVILLE – In Fall 2023, Partnership for a Drug-Free Community applied to Alabama Opioid Settlement Commission and Alabama Department of Mental Health for funding to expand and offer its services to the four contiguous counties surrounding Madison County.

This expansion’s intent was to help the underserved, uninsured and rural individuals in those locations.

In June, Partnership signed the contract and began offering assessments, peer support, referrals, case management, calls for help and information in Marshall, Morgan, Limestone and Jackson counties.

“Our goal is to offer Partnership’s Recovery Support Services to city councils, county commissions, drug courts, hospitals, urgent care centers, treatment facilities, county sheriffs, local police departments and emergency management services to reach and provide services to the targeted population,” Partnership Executive Director Cheryl Russell said.

The opioid epidemic is real, and Partnership has been addressing the issue locally since 2019 when it founded The Resource Recovery Hub, Russell said. The Hub is an impartial, one-stop shop where people with substance use disorder – and their families — can find help.

For four years, Partnership has received funding from City of Madison, City of Huntsville and Madison County Commission to combat the substance misuse epidemic that affects the local population.

At no cost, Partnership provides free assessments, peer support, case management and referrals to treatment. Special care is taken to collaboratively find the right treatment plan and facility for each individual to maximize long-term success.

“We want to build on the success we have had in Madison County. We don’t turn anyone away,” Russell said. “Our goal is to do everything in our power to connect an individual to treatment.”

During May and June, Partnership hired additional Peer Support Specialists, Case Managers and Assessors. Kimberley Lamar has been named the new Resource Recovery Hub Administrator.

A national award-winning administrator in 2023, Lamar was previously the Withdrawal Management Administrator with New Vision in Winfield. Previously, Lamar was a Peer Recovery Navigator with Pathway Healthcare in Huntsville and previously spent 16 years with Bradford Health Services as a Detox Coordinator and Peer Support Specialist.

Karren Crowson, Partnership Board Chair, said, “Daily, we continue to reach out to our partners and neighbors in Morgan, Marshall, Limestone and Jackson counties offering our recovery support services. We want to be part of the solution, and we hope they welcome our help.”

“Since June, the number of assessments we have completed is up 178 percent. These numbers reflect individuals we have referred to treatment,” Lamar said. “Partnership has grown from one full-time and three part-time employees to a staff of eight full-time and three part-time.”

Partnership’s new address is Artie Street SW, Ste. 1 in Huntsville. For more information, visit thedrugfreepartnership.org.