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Locations - Southeastern Kentucky - New Detail - April 2, 2009
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Back to News Releases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Experts from Kentucky River Community Care and other Treatment Providers Recommend Practical Steps to Break Cycle of Drugs, Alcohol and Crime for Teens Jackson, Ky. – Experts from Kentucky River Community Care are part of a national group of substance abuse treatment providers who have recommended 10 specific steps communities can take to improve care for teens with drugs and alcohol problems who are in trouble with the law. The experts, part of the Reclaiming Futures initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, describe their ideas for changing local juvenile justice systems in a new report, Improved Care for Teens in Trouble with Drugs, Alcohol and Crime. "Most teens that appear before a juvenile court judge are struggling with alcohol and drugs, yet few of them get treatment in spite of research linking substance abuse and delinquent behavior," said Laura Nissen, Ph.D., Reclaiming Futures national program director. "Reclaiming Futures has created and tested a model that identifies these young people early on, provides a team approach to treatment designed for their age group, and gives services beyond treatment." The report recommendations are based on the Reclaiming Futures model tested in 10 communities during the past five years. The ground-breaking approach screens each teen for drug and alcohol problems, assesses the severity of their drug and alcohol use, and provides prompt access to a treatment plan coordinated by a service team. Reclaiming Futures also connects teens with employers, mentors, and volunteer service projects. Reclaiming Futures in the Mountains of Kentucky is one of 10 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded projects across the country creating new approaches to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol, and crime. Reclaiming Futures is promoting new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice. In partnership with Kentucky River Community Care (KRCC), The Mountains of Kentucky Reclaiming Futures project was awarded $1.25 million in grants to reinvent the way courts, police, detention facilities, treatment counselors, businesses, schools, families and others work together with teens in trouble with the law. "We have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by getting kids involved in treatment, versus them going further into the court system," said Michelle Kilgore, KRCC’s Project Director. "Throughout the project we have also seen that the Reclaiming Futures youth are less likely to re-offend and more likely to receive the services they need, therefore allowing them the opportunity for a better future." In Southeastern Kentucky, the program has worked to improve the quality of alcohol and drug treatment services available to young people in our justice system and has served over 168 teens in our area. Reclaiming Futures in Kentucky has allowed for improvements such as: assessing teens already in the juvenile justice system who are using drugs or at risk for drug use; providing increased drug and alcohol treatment to these youth; streamlining services and resources among local agencies and counties; helping these teens and other at-risk youth become more responsible for their actions by linking them with community services and leadership activities; supporting communities efforts as they provide young people and families awareness activities, early screening services, early intervention services and positive social activities; and by developing community protective factors, such as creating opportunities for meaningful adult involvement in positive activities with these youth. "When a parent comes to us and says 'Thank you so much...I brought a stranger to you and you returned my child back to me'...that has to be one of the single most powerful statements for anyone involved in providing treatment," said Bridget Turner, KRCC Area Director and Reclaiming Futures Treatment Fellow. "We are hearing parents make that statement as a result of Reclaiming Futures in Kentucky. It is about rebuilding hope for the youth, the family, the community, and the future." A recent independent evaluation by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children found that participating communities report that Reclaiming Futures has improved the coordination and quality of substance abuse interventions for teens involved with the juvenile justice system. "This report is a step-by-step guide for other treatment professionals seeking to help this unique population of young people," said Jan Embree-Bever, Reclaiming Futures leadership faculty. "It draws on the lessons we have learned during the past five years and has practical steps that any treatment provider in any community can take to help these teens in need." The report suggests 10 recommendations such as creating a service team made up of treatment providers, judges, probation officers, family and community members to design a care plan for the youth; having the team agree on definitions for critical terms used in the field to improve communication; providing cross-training for all team members; and developing systematic data collection and tracking mechanisms to track outcomes for the teen and program. Reclaiming Futures has been in effect in the Kentucky River Community Care, eight-county region, for over five years. Cumberland River, Comprehend and Big Sandy are other Community Mental Health Centers in Kentucky that are adopting the model, as well as other sites nation wide. Improved Care for Teens in Trouble with Drugs, Alcohol and Crime can be read in its entirety at www.reclaimingfutures.org. It can be used along with the workbook, Improving Adolescent Treatment: A Self-Study Workbook for Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Providers (2006), and a report on terminology, Key Terminology: For Communities Developing Alcohol and Drug Treatment Programs in Partnership with the Juvenile Justice System (2007), which are both available at the same website. ### About Reclaiming Futures About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation About Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. |
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Locations - Southeastern Kentucky - News
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Southeastern Kentucky - News Detail
About Us | Our Team | News | Media May 9, 2007 Reclaiming Futures Model Improves Juvenile Justice Services in Southeastern Kentucky Frankfort, Ky. (May 9, 2007) – In a presentation before the House Bill 843 Commission, national experts, Kentucky-area practitioners and leaders agreed that a new approach called Reclaiming Futures has improved juvenile justice services in Southeastern Kentucky. "In the past five years, Southeastern Kentucky and nine other communities have pioneered a new national standard in juvenile justice," said Emmitt "Hayes, a member of the national advisory committee of Reclaiming Futures. "In doing so, these communities are showing the rest of the country how teens can escape a cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime." An initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Reclaiming Futures in partnership with Kentucky River Community Care, Inc., (KRCC) combines system reform, treatment improvement and community engagement to help teenagers in the justice system get off drugs and alcohol. Research shows that teens that use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in the justice system, where treatment services are often unavailable or uncoordinated. "Both national and local data tell us that in Kentucky and elsewhere Reclaiming Futures is working," said Hayes. He told the legislators that Kentucky and the other Reclaiming Futures sites have reported significant improvements in the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services, according to a recent evaluation by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children. Key elements of the Reclaiming Futures model include screening and assessing teens for drug and alcohol problems and assembling a team to develop a strength-based care plan; training drug and alcohol treatment providers in evidence-based practices that work with teens; and involving community members as natural helpers and role models to provide the support teens need. "We're saving lives and money by getting kids involved in treatment instead of seeing them go further into the court system," said Michelle Kilgore, KRCC's project director. "We have also seen that the Reclaiming Futures youth are less likely to re-offend and more likely to receive the services they need, therefore affording them a better future."
"It is our hope that one day Kentucky will offer the Reclaiming Futures approach to all of our young people with drug and alcohol problems who are in trouble with the law," Dr. Louise Howell, executive director of Kentucky River Community Care, told the Commission. House Bill 843 Commission members also heard first-hand from the Honorable Ralph E. McClanahan, II, Chief Regional Judge of the Bluegrass Region, and Pam Pilgrim, Community Fellow for Reclaiming Futures in the Mountains of Kentucky. Pilgrim spoke of the change towards more positive attitudes that members in her community are having towards troubled youth since Reclaiming Futures began their community awareness and involvement movements. Reclaiming Futures Model Improves Juvenile Justice Services in Southeastern Kentucky The 10 communities piloting the $21 million Reclaiming Futures initiative include Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; four counties in Southeastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; the Sovereign Tribal Nation of Sicangu Lakota in Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently approved funding to support Reclaiming Futures in Kentucky for two more years as part of a national expansion of the Reclaiming Futures initiative, citing the program's success in getting more services to substance using teens in the juvenile justice. The goal of the expanded effort is to create a national movement promoting the Reclaiming Futures standards of care in juvenile justice. ### About Reclaiming Futures About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
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Locations - SE Kentucky - News Detail - March 9, 2007
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Southeastern Kentucky - News Detail
About Us | Our Team | News | Media March 9, 2007
Juvenile Probation Officers Call for New Responses to Teen Drug and Alcohol Use Portland, OR – A national group of probation officers, including William D. Heffron, M.D., Chief of Mental Health Services for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, is recommending that juvenile justice leaders take 10 steps to break the cycle of teen drug use and crime. The officers, part of the Reclaiming Futures program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, issued their call to action in a new report, Juvenile Probation Officers Call for New Responses to Teen Drug and Alcohol Use and Dependency. "We know teen alcohol and drug use is linked to juvenile crime. Yet, few alcohol-and-drug-involved teens in the system get the help they need," said Laura Nissen, Reclaiming Futures national program director. "Reclaiming Futures offers these young people more treatment, better treatment designed for their age group, and greater access to services beyond treatment such as mentors and jobs that will help them flourish in the community and stay out of trouble." The report, written by a group of juvenile probation officers with extensive experience in juvenile justice, outlines practical steps for other officers to follow in order to make changes in their own juvenile justice systems. The findings are based on the Reclaiming Futures model tested in 10 communities during the past five years, including here in Southeastern Kentucky in partnership with Kentucky River Community Care. The ground-breaking approach screens each teen that enters the juvenile justice system for drug and alcohol problems, assesses the severity of their drug and alcohol use, and provides prompt access to a treatment plan coordinated by a service team. Reclaiming Futures also connects teens with employers, mentors, and volunteer service projects. "This report is written by juvenile probation officers for other officers, treatment providers, family service agencies, policy makers and community leaders who work with teens in trouble with the law," said William D. Heffron, M.D., Chief of Mental Health Services for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. "It draws on our success with Reclaiming Futures in the Mountains of Kentucky and is chock full of practical ideas and steps any community can use." The report offers 10 recommendations for juvenile justice practitioners who want to adopt the Reclaiming Futures approach, such as: collaborating with mental health providers, alcohol and drug treatment professionals, school administrators and community partners; knowing which services are available and appropriate for drug-involved youth; tailoring interventions based on the teen's strengths, risk and needs; supporting staff to continue to learn about effective substance abuse treatment; promoting funding for family advocacy, wrap-around services and mentoring; and collecting and sharing data to help all agencies involved in this effort. Juvenile Probation Officers Call for New Responses to Teen Drug and Alcohol Use and Dependency can be read in its entirety at www.reclaimingfutures.org. About Reclaiming Futures About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ### |
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Locations - SE Kentucky - News Detail - February 23, 2007
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Southeastern Kentucky - News Detail
About Us | Our Team | News | Media February 23, 2007 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation approves new funding to support Reclaiming Futures in the Mountains of Kentucky Portland, OR (February 23, 2007) -- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced its board has approved funding to support Reclaiming Futures in the Mountains of Kentucky, in partnership with Kentucky River Community Care (KRCC) for two more years. RWJF also approved funding for a national expansion of the Reclaiming Futures initiative, housed at Portland State University, citing the program's success in getting more services to teens in the justice system who are struggling with drugs and alcohol. The 10 communities, including Southeastern Kentucky, that have piloted Reclaiming Futures over the past five years reported significant improvements in the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services, according to research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children. Overall, the RWJF board approved $6.5 million to support 10 pilot sites for two more years, which includes Breathitt, Lee, Owsley and Wolfe counties, and to help additional new sites implement the Reclaiming Futures model over the next four years. The expanded effort also will create a national resource center to provide data, case studies and other information to even more communities seeking to improve drug and alcohol services for justice-involved youth. "By spreading Reclaiming Futures across the country, we are creating a national movement that can make a vital difference in the health of youth and their families," said Kristin Schubert, RWJF program officer for Reclaiming Futures. "During the past five years, we have created a new national standard of care in juvenile justice. These pilot communities are leading the way." The Reclaiming Futures model combines system reform, treatment improvement and community engagement to help teens in the justice system get off drugs and alcohol. Teens who enter the justice system with serious drug and alcohol problems rarely receive treatment, even though research shows that young people who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in trouble with the law, behave violently, or drop out of school. Key elements of the Reclaiming Futures model include screening and assessing teens for drug and alcohol problems; assembling a team to develop a personal care plan; training drug and alcohol treatment providers in evidence-based practices that work with teens; providing family support; and involving community members as mentors and role models to provide the support teens need. Beginning in 2002, 10 communities, including four counties in Southeastern Kentucky helped create and test the Reclaiming Futures model. The other nine communities are: Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; the Sovereign Tribal Nation of Sicangu Lakota in Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. "We have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by getting kids involved in treatment, versus them going further into the court system," said Michelle Kilgore, KRCC's Project Director. "Throughout the project we have also seen that the RF youth are less likely to re-offend and more likely to receive the services they need, therefore allowing them the opportunity for a better future." Reclaiming Futures will invite applications from communities interested in participating as one of the new pilot sites. Successful applicants will be selected in the summer of 2007 and will receive technical assistance, on-site coaching, educational materials and invitations to national conferences and workshops. Application forms will be posted on the Reclaiming Futures Web site in late spring. About Reclaiming Futures About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ### |
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Locations - SE Kentucky - News Detail - October 30, 2006
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Southeastern Kentucky - News Detail
About Us | Our Team | News | Media October 30, 2006 Judges Call for Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse Portland, OR (October 30, 2006) – A national group of judges is recommending that judicial officers nationwide take a more active role in helping youth in the juvenile justice system overcome their drug and alcohol problems. The team, which includes Kentucky River Community Care in Breathitt, Lee, Owsley and Wolfe counties from Eastern Kentucky, is part of the Reclaiming Futures program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The judges issued their call to action as part of their jointly written monograph A Model for Judicial Leadership; Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse. The report was just published by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in its Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Summer 2006, Volume 57, Number 3. "Research shows that teens who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in the justice system, where treatment services are often unavailable or uncoordinated," said Laura Nissen, Reclaiming Futures national program director. "We believe these young people deserve appropriate screening, treatment, care and community support, and that judges have the knowledge, influence and obligation to drive this change." The judicial monograph, written by a team of judges with extensive experience in juvenile justice, outlines practical steps for other judges to follow in order to build a collaborative model for change within their own juvenile justice systems. These steps include inviting and convening stakeholders to participate; identifying the needs for youth services; achieving consensus; focusing on performance measures and outcomes; educating the judiciary and public; partnering with the community; and listening to youth. The report concludes with 10 recommendations for judicial action, such as: judges must ensure youth in the system are screened and assessed; judges must be educated on the current state of practice in the substance abuse field; and judges must help identify or create positive pro-social influences for youth such as mentors, jobs or volunteer opportunities. "This guide is written by judges and intended to be used by other judges, court administrators, government entities, community leaders and interested citizens," said Judge Ralph McClanahan "Our goal is to provide a blueprint for judges so they can take concrete actions to improve the juvenile and family court system." A Model for Judicial Leadership can be read in its entirety at http://www.reclaimingfutures.org/resource.asp?rcid=5 or in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Summer 2006, Volume 57, Number 3. Reclaiming Futures is a $21 million initiative located in the 10 communities of Anchorage, Alaska; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; three counties in Eastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. In its fourth year, early research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago indicates the program has significantly improved the coordination of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services in its 10 communities. About Reclaiming Futures About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ### |
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Locations - SE Kentucky - News Detail - April 26, 2004
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Southeastern Kentucky - News Detail
About Us | Our Team | News | Media Southeastern Kentucky receives $100,000 grant to improve drug and alcohol treatment for teens in trouble with the law JACKSON, Ky. (April 26, 2004) – Southeastern Kentucky is one of ten communities in the nation selected today to receive a $100,000 grant from Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The funds are intended to provide more effective drug and alcohol treatment for local teenagers in the juvenile justice system. “It's no secret that teens with drug or alcohol problems are more likely to end up in trouble with the law,” says Kari Collins , project director for Reclaiming Futures in the Mountains of Kentucky, and director of child and adolescent services for Kentucky River Community Care, Inc., the lead agency for the grant. “This grant will allow us to adopt cutting-edge treatment techniques that can help our young people overcome the cycle of substance abuse and crime.” The grant will help provide youth in the justice system with access to quality substance abuse treatment close to home. This includes increasing the number of local residential services and, for the first time, offering s chool-based substance abuse treatment services. In addition, through creation of a “master clinicians” sustainability program, the funds will ensure adolescents in trouble with the law continue to have access to these community-based substance abuse treatment services in the years to come. The grant is the latest national investment in a five-year initiative that brings together local courts, businesses, civic groups, schools and others to improve drug and alcohol treatment, expand and coordinate social services, and find jobs, volunteer work and other opportunities for teens in trouble with the law. In 2002, Reclaiming Futures awarded southeastern Kentucky $1.25 million to reinvent the way the community responds to teenagers involved with drugs, alcohol and crime . Treatment for youth in the system As many as four out of five of the two million young people who enter the justice system nationally each year have an alcohol or drug problem. “Unfortunately, most don't receive treatment and many of the services that do exist are ineffective,” says Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., director of Reclaiming Futures, which awarded the $100,000 grants to southeastern Kentucky and nine other communities. “Today's grant gives southeastern Kentucky the opportunity to test promising practices that could make a positive difference in the lives of these teens. Treatment experts around the country are watching this experiment with great interest.” “Substance abuse treatment is one of the smartest public safety investments we can make,” says Dr. William Heffron, director of mental health services for Kentucky 's Department of Juvenile Justice in Frankfort . “Research shows that treating alcohol and drug abuse reduces crime, saves money and builds safer communities.” Almost one-third of the estimated 6,000 teens ages 10 to 18 who live in Breathitt, Lee, Owsley and Wolfe counties abuse alcohol or drugs – or are at risk of doing so. Marijuana use in these four counties is almost twice the national average – 5.8 percent versus 3.4 percent nationally. About Reclaiming Futures Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. A five-year, $21 million initiative launched by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Reclaiming Futures promotes new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice for young people with drug and alcohol problems. For more information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org . The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton , N.J. , is the largest philanthropy in the nation devoted exclusively to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org . |
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Locations - SE Kentucky - News Detail - August 19, 2002
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Southeastern Kentucky - News Detail
About Us | Our Team | News | Media Local media leaders, judicial officials and citizens from southeastern Kentucky converse with Reclaiming Futures on substance abuse and delinquency concerns BEATTYVILLE, Ky. - Local media representing three counties in southeastern Kentucky recently joined colleagues from Kentucky River Community Care and PEP CO to welcome the Communications Director of Reclaiming Futures. The purpose of this visit was to assist the Reclaiming Futures national office in personalizing a media campaign for our area by allowing the Communication Director, Mac Prichard, the opportunity to connect with local media within the four county districts. The response of local media was overwhelming. After a personal visit with Three Forks Tradition staff Bob, Linda, and Josh Smith, Mac was able to meet with regional media. This included an audience of Edmund Shelby of the Beattyville Enterprise and Jackson Times and Tom Lasseter and Bill Estep from the Lexington Herald. Mr. Prichard then met with Margaret Verbal, a consultant from Lexington, KY who focused on specific marketing strategies that can be employed by Reclaiming Futures to better serve our population. Kari Collins and Renee LaBreche of KRCC and Anna Dunahoo of PEP CO then traveled with Mr. Prichard to Irvine, KY for a meeting with District Judges Ralph McClanahan and Kenny Proffit. Tim Bowles, Judge McClanahan's assistant was also present. The conversation within the group lead to an in-depth discussion concerning youth services within the justice system. "Kids with alcohol and drug problems in these four county's juvenile justice system have difficulty accessing the limited treatment and social services they need," says Kari Collins. "Without appropriate interventions, many of them find themselves in trouble with the law again and again." Both judges agree with this and have dedicated themselves to help create a community plan for juvenile justice system changes that will give judges more choices for treatment resources and alternative sentencing. The plan, once developed, will improve interagency communication, planning, and services. "It is a win win situation," says Anna Dunahoo of PEP CO. "Youth wins because there is an increase in treatment options and the judges win because they have more alternatives for interventions and we all have the hope of decreasing the number of youth who become repeat offenders." After the lunch meeting with the judges, the group traveled to Breathitt County where they met with members of the Regional Interagency Council. At 6:00, moderator Chris Hanneke, met with seven individuals from the four counties for a special focus group. The purpose of the focus group was to talk about issues facing teens (ages 12-17) in our area. The topics of discussion varied and included conversations on important issues or challenges of teens, what the community believes happens to teens within the judicial system, who is responsible for their behavior, and who is responsible for helping them (teens). The group also lead through a process in which they evaluated the effectiveness of media ads developed to promote this youth initiation. In the end, participants were asked to define "your community" and to identify whose responsibility it is to help teens with substance abuse problems that also commit other crimes. At the end of the day, Mr. Prichard was able to return to the national office with invaluable information specific to Lee, Owsley, Breathitt, and Wolfe Counties. This information will be used to personalize an effective media campaign for the Reclaiming Mountain Futures project. "We're so excited Breathitt, Lee, Owsley and Wolfe counties are a part of this effort," says Kari Collins of KRCC. "Southeastern Kentucky has the dedicated people and now, with the aid of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has the resources to create a national model for treating youth with drug and alcohol issues who are also in trouble with the law." After attending special training at Portland, Oregon in May, Judge McClanahan and Kari Collins are ready to lead a community -based initiative to plan new treatment and other services for delinquent youth in Breathitt, Lee, Owsley, and Wolfe counties. The project, Reclaiming Mountain Futures, proposes to serve about 590 young people ages 10-18 with substance abuse problems in the juvenile justice system beginning in 2003. Officials say it could eventually make a significant difference in the community and even on a national basis. |
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Nearly half of all teens entering publicly-funded substance abuse treatment are referred from the juvenile justice system.LT1 |
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