Life skills, job training help mountain communities combat overdose crisis

(WYMT) -Overdose deaths are down across Kentucky for the fourth consecutive year, and Knott County is leading the way in the mountains.

After being ranked second in the state for overdose deaths in 2024, the community is “recovery ready.” Local leaders say the secret to their success isn’t just medicine, it’s a focus on life and job skills.

In Knott County, 14 Narcan boxes are stationed at local grocery stores and quick stops. Since then, the county has seen a dramatic drop in overdose deaths and drug-related crimes.

“Narcan is not just for addicts. It can be for the baby that picked up a pill, or an older person that forgot they took their medicine,” said Glenda Shrum, chair member of the Drug Abuse Council. “It works for those the same as it does an addict.”

Leaders at Beacons of Hope say the next step is moving past just saving lives to helping people build new ones.

“Let’s not hold against them what they did a few years ago. Let’s hold them accountable for what they’re doing today. And let’s give everybody a chance,” said Greg Burke, executive director of Beacons of Hope. “I promise you, every single person walking on this earth has been addicted to something and has had a second chance at something.”

Burke says the goal isn’t just sobriety, it’s stability. That’s why the Beacons of Hope program focuses on life skills. They believe that by teaching everyday habits, they are giving people the tools to stay successful long after they leave the program.

Shrum has spent decades helping people fight addiction in Knott County. She remembers 2024, when the county was losing the battle.

“In 2024, we had 18 deaths in Knott County. We was number two in the state,” Shrum said. “We looked around and thought, wow, we’ve got to join forces. We’re all looking at the same goal is we want to help people learn how to be in recovery and stay there.”

That partnership led to Knott County becoming “recovery ready.” But for Burke at Beacons of Hope, preventing a death is only the first step.

“That is fantastic. But that’s just the first leg. The overall end game is a better quality of life,” Burke said. “I don’t want to hang our hat on, hey, people aren’t dying, because we’re still having overdoses.”

Burke is focusing on what he calls the “next workforce.” Recently, eight people in recovery graduated with fiber optic certifications.

“Those people never thought they had a chance. No one can ever take that away from them,” Burke said. “It’s our next workforce and we need to jump all in and love these people.”

While the numbers are improving, the climb remains uphill. Leaders say a lack of housing and transportation are still the biggest roadblocks to staying sober.

“We’re rebuilding families and making them become productive members of society,” Shrum said. “We want to reunite those families.”

For now, the goal is simple, holding on to the progress made, one second chance at a time.