Success StoryRecovery Ready Community Legislation



Recovery Ready Community Legislation

Author: Alexander Elswick

Planning Unit: Family and Consumer Sciences

Major Program: Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General

Outcome: Long-Term Outcome

Drug overdose persists as the leading cause of accidental death to Kentuckians in 2020.  During the 12-month span beginning in March 2020 and coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US suffered 88,000 overdose deaths.  During this, the worst year on record, Kentuckians witnessed an opioid epidemic in the midst of a public health pandemic and the consequences have been dire.

In August of 2020, I was invited to the BRIGHT Eastern Kentucky Leadership Academy by my friend and colleague, Karen Butcher.  The Academy brings together emerging leaders from across Eastern Kentucky to identify solutions to problems that affect local communities.  The focus of this summit was to identify ways to mitigate the impact of the opioid epidemic in Eastern Kentucky.  I delivered a presentation entitled "Building Recovery Ready Communities" which focused on helping community leaders identify key resources (e.g. recovery capital) to mobilize recovery and remove barriers to reentry.  The presentation was well-received by numerous community leaders, including state legislators.

Three months later, in March of 2021, Governor Andy Beshear signed into legislation House Bill 7 which establishes an Advisory Council for Recovery Ready Communities.  The legislation was first introduced and co-sponsored by Rep. Adam Bowling, an attendee at the BRIGHT Eastern Kentucky Leadership Academy.  

Effectively translating science into practice and aiding in the creation of legislation that improves the health and wellness of Kentuckians strikes at the very mission of CES programming and I'm grateful to have played a part.






Stories by Alexander Elswick


Summit on Substance Use, Recovery, and Diverse Populations

about 4 months ago by Alexander Elswick

In 2019 and again in 2023, the UK CES Statewide Community Needs Assessment identified substance use ... Read More


Roundtable Discussion with US Rep. Guthrie

about 4 months ago by Alexander Elswick

Since the synthetic opioid fentanyl was first identified in the drug supply in 2014, fatal opioid ov... Read More


Stories by Family and Consumer Sciences


Disaster Prepared on a Budget

Disaster Prepared on a Budget

about 4 months ago by LaToya Drake

Kentucky has faced an increasing incidence of severe weather events, including tornadoes, fires, and... Read More


Kentucky Saves Week 2024 Spreads Savings Message

Kentucky Saves Week 2024 Spreads Savings Message

about 4 months ago by Kelly May

Kentucky Saves is led by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service as part of the nat... Read More