A federal grant will allow rural north-Central Illinois to expand drug treatment services for opioids, stimulants, and other substances.
Samantha McAvoy is project director overseeing the grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice.
"The need is huge. We have individuals within our communities that...there's people making referrals for mental health and substance use disorder services, but we don't have anything here," she said.
Rather than having to help people find transportation to access services, McAvoy said they can now offer them to residents in their home counties.
The grant will support drug treatment services at wraparound centers in Wyoming and Henry. It also allows for the hiring of two new outreach worker positions, and expands education in schools.
"This would not be possible without a lot of different leadership, with different knowledge, backgrounds, different experience, coming together to really collaborate and make this happen," McAvoy said.
The $1 million grant covers Marshall, Stark, and Putnam counties.
