Georgia County Government - October 2008 - (Page 45) but that they are not an answer. They begin a new and more deadly cycle of problems for people who use them, which no one really anticipates.” “We’re also keeping a whole lot of people out of jail with this program,” Paris reminds. “In the rest of rural Georgia, few counties have treatment centers like this. We hope our success story can encourage other counties with similar challenges to locate funding and put these facilities in place.” Program Becoming Self-Supporting Currently, the program’s three-year SAMSHA grant funding is ending. The New Hope treatment center will continue, according to Commissioner Paris, but will be in the process of weaning off of grant support. According to Beaver, the program will continue through referrals from DFACS, probation, parole, families, employers and others. New Hope’s administrators are now seeking new grants, and have high hopes for it becoming a self-sustaining clinic. Paris emphasizes that the community will continue its staunch support of New Hope. “We will be furnishing the facility, since the county did receive stipend funds to renovate the clinic.” The need will still be there, certainly, all agree. A Family Drug Court will also soon become operational in Union County and will refer clients to New Hope. It is anticipated that all who meet the requirements will be participating. What’s certain not to change is that New Hope will continue to be a community effort, Paris says. “The repercussions when people use drugs will continue to include mandated treatment. And it does work,” he offers. “If someone is on probation and trying to keep or get their rights to their children back, or they’re facing other sanctions like jail, they will be motivated to seek treatment at New Hope.” There are benefits, too, for local employers to put programs in place to help drug-addicted employees seek treatment at New Hope. Beaver points out that the center is treating all addictions – alcohol, street drug addictions and the fastestgrowing segment of drug use, illegally procured pharmaceuticals. “Forged drug prescriptions have become the most prevalent drug offense, and this problem is quickly replacing methamphetamine as the primary drug problem in this region,” Beaver points out. Meanwhile, the percentage of methamphetamine addicts New Hope is now seeing, as mentioned, is in the 10 percent range. This in itself is an extraordinary – no other word comes to mind – miracle. Paris expounds: “Over the last three years, the methamphetamine problem has drastically improved. We did this with the SAMSHA grant, which enabled the New Hope center. We undertook community education to attack the problem (provided through the grant and through the Anti-Drug Coalition), provided a treatment center and, hopefully, helped those with this addiction improve their lives. “People don’t want to die that way,” he concludes. “Thanks to the public-awareness campaign, meth has now become, to most people, the drug to avoid. The UNION COUNTY continued on page 46 TAYLOR COUNTY BOARD OF TAYLOR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Patty James Chairman Sidney Albritton Vice-Chairman Jerry Albritton Commissioner Randall F. Nelson Commissioner Lenda K. Taunton, County Manager Edward N. Davis, County Attorney Clinton Perry, Jr Commissioner P.O. Box 278, Butler, Georgia 31006 • (478) 862-3336 • FAX: (478) 862-2871 OCTOBER 2008 8/15/08 4:19:46 PM www.accg.org 45 394833_TaylorCounty.indd 1 http://www.accg.org
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