MONTICELLO – A 2-year-old girl was treated for exposure to methamphetamine after being found in a home where the highly toxic drug had been produced.

This was the second incident involving endangerment to a child in Wayne County this week.

Both 45-year-old Paul Sweet Sr. and 24-year-old Samantha Carter were charged by Operation UNITE with manufacturing methamphetamine and child endangerment (meth).

“Our investigation is continuing and additional arrests are likely,” said Dan Smoot, deputy director for UNITE.

Wayne County Sheriff’s Office deputies were following up on “numerous tips and calls” about Sweet late Thursday, Sept. 29, and went to Sweet’s and Carter’s residence on Bell Phipps Road around 11 p.m.

After receiving permission to search the home, deputies discovered between 1-2 grams of finished methamphtamine, remnants of a one-step lab, lithium strips and pills containing pseudoephedrine – the main ingredient used to create meth.

There were three other adults and the child at the residence in addition to Sweet and Carter, police said.

The child was taken to the Wayne County Hospital Emergency Room for treatment of exposure to chemicals used to make methamphetamine.

On Monday, September 26, police arrested four people after an active meth lab was found on Lovette Lane. One of those charged, 30-year-old Shelly Parrigin, was eight months pregnant. Others arrested were 38-year-old Chad Rosen (who initially gave police a false name), 35-year-old Joseph “Wally” Wallace, and 39-year-old Angela D. Wallace.

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org<http://www.operationunite.org>.

* * * * *
In 2003, Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (R-Somerset) worked to create Operation UNITE, a regional anti-drug initiative empowering citizens groups and community leaders in 29 southern and eastern Kentucky counties. UNITE, which stands for Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education, seeks to fight the drug epidemic by expanding drug awareness and education programs to keep people from using drugs; coordinating drug treatment and outreach programs for those who are already addicted; and operating regional undercover law enforcement task forces for interdiction and prosecution of those dealing drugs.  For more information contact Karen Kelly toll-free at 1-866-678-6483.

Drug Tip Hotline – 1-866-424-4382 /     Treatment Referral Line – 1-866-90-UNITE (1-866-908-6483)

JACKSON – The third of six free regional basketball camps offered by Operation UNITE this summer will be held Tuesday, June 14, at Breathitt County High School in Jackson.

Camp begins at 4 p.m. and lasts approximately three hours. Participants are asked to arrive 30 minutes early to complete registration.

Any school-age youth is welcome to participate in the program, which provides basketball skills instruction by former University of Kentucky basketball star Jeff Sheppard in conjunction with anti-drug and self-esteem messages.

All participants will receive a free event T-shirt, regulation basketball, food and water, and be entered into a drawing for two portable basketball goals given away at the conclusion of each camp.

For comfort and safety participants are asked not to wear open-toe shoes or sandals.

Presented by Phoenix Products, Shoot Hoops Not Drugs camps are fun, interactive, and provide a safe, drug-free activity where children have an opportunity to interact with positive role models while learning fundamental basketball skills.

In addition, parents and guardians will have an opportunity to attend a UNITE Foundation education program on how to talk to their children about drugs. Information on the signs, symptoms and dangers posed by drugs will also be given.

As a senior at the University of Kentucky, Sheppard was named the NCAA’s Final Four Most Valuable Player in the Wildcats’ 1997-98 National Championship season. He would later go on to play one season with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and 3 years in Italy.

Helping make the 2011 Shoot Hoops Not Drugs camps possible are:

Gold Sponsors – Codell Construction, Knox County UNITE Coalition, Rockcastle County UNITE Coalition, Senture, SouthEast Telephone and Walmart of Eastern Kentucky.

Silver Sponsors – Citizens Bank & Trust (Jackson), Citizens National Bank (Somerset), First National Bank (Jackson), Huffman & Huffman, PSC (Somerset), and Johnny Maco’s Electrical Contracting (Jackson).

Bronze Sponsors – Alton Blakley Family of Dealerships (Somerset), Community Trust Bank (Pikeville) and St. Joseph-Martin (Floyd County).

Other Shoot Hoops Not Drugs camps to be held this summer are:

• Tuesday, June 7 – Nancy Elementary School in Pulaski County.

• Thursday, June 9 – Flat Lick Elementary School in Knox County.

• Thursday, July 7 – Jenkins High School in Letcher County.

• Tuesday, July 12 – Meade Memorial Elementary School in Johnson County.

• Thursday, July 14 – Rockcastle County Middle School in Rockcastle County.

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org<http://www.operationunite.org>.

* * * * *
In 2003, Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (R-Somerset) worked to create Operation UNITE, a regional anti-drug initiative empowering citizens groups and community leaders in 29 southern and eastern Kentucky counties. UNITE, which stands for Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education, seeks to fight the drug epidemic by expanding drug awareness and education programs to keep people from using drugs; coordinating drug treatment and outreach programs for those who are already addicted; and operating regional undercover law enforcement task forces for interdiction and prosecution of those dealing drugs.  For more information contact Karen Engle toll-free at 1-866-678-6483.

Drug Tip Hotline – 1-866-424-4382     /     Treatment Referral Line – 1-866-90-UNITE (1-866-908-6483)

At least four locations in the UNITE region have joined more than 4,700 sites across the nation in the effort that seeks to prevent pill abuse and theft.

“This was an easy decision because it matches perfectly with the UNITE ‘Pill Dragon’ program,” said Dan Smoot, law enforcement director for UNITE. “Since we began taking the ‘dragon’ – a mobile incinerator – to communities last fall we have destroyed more than one-half million unused or out-of-date pills.”

Collection boxes will be available between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at three locations: Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Monticello Police Department and the Somerset Police Department.

In addition, the Rowan County UNITE Coalition has scheduled a special take-back program from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Carl Perkins Community Center in Morehead. That event is sponsored by the coalition, Morehead Police Department, Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and the Rowan County Board of Education.

Last September more than 60 Kentucky law enforcement agencies hosted drop-off sites that resulted in the removal of approximately 4,700 pounds of pharmaceutical controlled and non-controlled substance pills, stated Robert L. Corso, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Louisville District Office. Nationally more than 121 tons of prescription drugs were collected.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse.

“The 2008 National Survey on Drug Abuse Use and Health estimated that 6.2 million Americans using psychotherapeutic drugs with no legitimate medical need,” Corso noted. “Furthermore, the survey indicates more Americans abuse psychotherapeutic drugs more than cocaine, heroin and hallucinogens combined.”

Studies show that individuals that abuse prescription drugs often obtained them from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.

“This has been the focus of a four-month educational campaign, called ‘Accidental Dealer,’ by UNITE’s community coalitions to raise awareness of this issue. In many instances the finale event included a visit by the Pill Dragon – made possible through sponsorship by the Kentucky Army National Guard and Eastern Kentucky PRIDE – for a “Clean Your Medicine Cabinet Out Day” program.

“PRIDE is a key partner with this initiative because of the potential environmental hazards created through improper disposal of their unused medications,” Smoot said. “Too often these medications are flushed down the toilet or simply tossed in the trash. As a result, they end up in landfills, septic tanks and our drinking water supply.”

The first DEA Take-Back event “was an unprecedented opportunity to educate everyone about the growing prescription drug abuse problem,” said Michele Leonhart, DEA administrator. “Studies have shown that, for many, prescription drugs are the very first drugs they abuse – and all too often they aren’t the last. That is why we are committed to helping Americans keep their homes safe by ridding their medicine cabinets of expired, unused and unwanted drugs.”

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy who visited southern and eastern Kentucky in February, echoed this sentiment.

“Preventing these readily available and potentially deadly drugs from being diverted and misused is something each and every one of us can do to help reduce the epidemic of prescription drug abuse that is harming so many Americans,” Kerlikowske said.

Last fall Congress passed the Safe and Secure Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amended the Controlled Substances Act to allow users of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the U.S. Attorney General. That act also allows long-term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.

Regulations are currently being drafted by the DEA to implement the act.

To learn where collection sites are in your community go to www.dea.gov and click on the “Got Drugs?” banner.

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org.

* * * * *

In 2003, Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (R-Somerset) worked to create Operation UNITE, a regional anti-drug initiative empowering citizens groups and community leaders in 29 southern and eastern Kentucky counties. UNITE, which stands for Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education, seeks to fight the drug epidemic by expanding drug awareness and education programs to keep people from using drugs; coordinating drug treatment and outreach programs for those who are already addicted; and operating regional undercover law enforcement task forces for interdiction and prosecution of those dealing drugs.  For more information contact Karen Engle toll-free at 1-866-678-6483.

Drug Tip Hotline – 1-866-424-4382     /     Treatment Referral Line – 1-866-90-UNITE (1-866-908-6483)

“The problem is growing worse rapidly,” said John Eadie, director of the PMP Center of Excellence at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. “The rate of drug-related deaths continues to rise. There is no longer the time for niceties. We need to intervene early.”

More than two dozen people representing a diverse array of professions from across the region participated in the Council meeting.

 “Coroners, health departments, hospitals, chiropractors, pharmacists, doctors, dentists, social workers, judges, schools, city and county officials – each person sees the tragic result of prescription drug abuse from a different perspective,” said Karen Kelly, director of UNITE. “The strength of this Council will be it’s collective voice.”

Coordinated prescription drug monitoring programs (PMPs) are currently operating in 34 of the 43 states and territories that have authorized them.

“You guys have taken the lead as a state,” Eadie said. “I’m here to suggest that Kentucky, along with some other states, can serve as a model for the next generation of prescription monitoring programs.”

The Kentucky All-Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) system has evolved to become an efficient and useful tool in identifying prescribing trends and potential abuse since its launch in 1999, said Dave Hopkins, KASPER project manager for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Medical providers who utilized KASPER reports in 2010 overwhelmingly say they are satisfied with the system (93.8%), according to a just completed study, Hopkins said, adding there is a huge need for more medical practitioners to utilize KASPER data.

Van Ingram, executive director for the Kentucky Office on Drug Control Policy, said he would like to see all licensed prescribers have a KASPER account, stricter regulations for pain clinics, and require a certain level of continuing education for medical professionals.

Specific topics where greater education may be needed include:

           • The value of KASPER as a tool for providing proper patient care through informed decisions
           • How prescription drugs are being used illegally
           • What can be done when a patient is found misusing or abusing a prescribed narcotic
           • Addiction as a disease

Members of UNITE’s Medical Advisory Council agreed to make practitioner education a top priority in the coming months. A committee was named to craft a proposal that can be discussed at their next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, March 3.

“(The drug issue) is such a monumental problem that it causes problems in every issue we deal with (in the General Assembly),” said state Rep. Leslie Combs, who represents the 94th District. “You start solving this problem and you start solving lots of other problems.”

All medical practitioners are encouraged to lend their expertise to the Council, created to advise UNITE’s Board of Directors.

For more information call 1-866-678-6483 or visit UNITE’s website at www.operationunite.org.

State Police along with Jackson Police and other law enforcement went on the hunt of drug dealers in Breathitt County. (Click image to enlarge)

During an investigation that spanned six months, UNITE detectives along with officers from the Jackson Police Department purchased a variety of pills, primarily Percocet, OxyContin and Lortab.

“The Jackson Police Department played a very active role throughout this investigation,” said Dan Smoot, law enforcement director for UNITE. “Chief Jeff Noble and officers from his department were invaluable in identifying suspects and helping make undercover buys.”

Through November, Breathitt County citizens had made 816 calls to UNITE’s drug tipline (1-866-424-4382) – the eighth most among the 29 counties in Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District.

“Approximately half of the individuals we’re seeking to arrest in this roundup were identified because of concerned citizens being willing to report suspicious behavior,” Smoot noted. “In many instances information we receive from the public makes the difference in whether we’re able to get these dealers off the street.”

While an arrest gives some people the motivation to turn their lives around, some people never seem to learn, Smoot said. “One-third of those wanted in this latest roundup have previously been arrested by UNITE for drug trafficking.”

Assisting with Wednesday’s roundup were troopers from the Kentucky State Police.

As of early afternoon police had located and charged 13 individuals. All were lodged in Three Forks Regional Jail in Beattyville.

• Ann Barrett, age 36, Jackson, served in jail, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, second offense, and second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Stephanie Jean Combs, age 35, Old Quicksand Road, Jackson, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Larry Davidson, age 51, Airport Road, Jackson, two counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and one count second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Jacob Henson Jr., age 45, Stamper Drive, Jackson, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree persistent felony offender.

• French Howard, age 34, Highway 541, Jackson, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Sheila Jimenez (aka Kay Hensley), age 53, Railroad Street, Jackson, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Adam Morris, age 24, Jackson, served in jail, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Cynthia Morris, age 45, Ivy Court Drive, Jackson, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• James D. Napier, age 43, Sycamore Street, Jackson, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, second offense, and first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Bert Noble, age 48, Highway 15 South, Jackson, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Toby Noble, age 32, Highway 315, Booneville, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, second offense, and second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Sarah F. Robinson, age 54, Sewell Street, Jackson, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, second offense.

• Sam Wilson Jr., age 45, Town View Apartments, Broadway, Jackson, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

Those suspects not located during Wednesday morning’s roundup will continue to be sought by UNITE detectives and officers from the Jackson Police Department.

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org<http://www.operationunite.org>.

* * * * *
In 2003, Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (R-Somerset) worked to create Operation UNITE, a regional anti-drug initiative empowering citizens groups and community leaders in 29 southern and eastern Kentucky counties. UNITE, which stands for Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education, seeks to fight the drug epidemic by expanding drug awareness and education programs to keep people from using drugs; coordinating drug treatment and outreach programs for those who are already addicted; and operating regional undercover law enforcement task forces for interdiction and prosecution of those dealing drugs.  For more information contact Karen Engle toll-free at 1-866-678-6483.

Drug Tip Hotline – 1-866-424-4382     /     Treatment Referral Line – 1-866-90-UNITE (1-866-908-6483)

Danielle Sandlin receives a framed copy of remarks Congressman Hal Rogers made on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives honoring her father, slain physician Dr. Dennis Sandlin. (Click image to enlarge)

An unidentified audience member listens to a presentation. (Click image to enlarge)

disease of addiction, and providing greater collaboration and communication on available resources were all short-term priorities identified by medical professionals attending an Operation UNITE symposium held Saturday.

The symposium brought together more than 300 physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, social workers, substance abuse counselors, adult care providers, coalition representatives and other professionals to address prescription drug abuse and workplace safety.

Sponsors included the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, the Kentucky Medical Association, the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and the Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence.

In addition to learning about current abuse trends, pending legislation, and treatment models, the symposium offered an opportunity to discuss issues and viewpoints related to substance abuse and workplace safety.

Bradley Moore asks a question during the morning panel discussion. (Click image to enlarge)

Presenters respond to concerns and comments in the afternoon panel discussion. From left are: Dr. Carl Leukefeld, Dave Hopkins, Bob Neri, Registered Nurse Beverly Hart, Bill Abney, Dr. Lynn Webster and Registered Nurse Marsha Stanton. (Click image to enlarge)

While these issues are not new, interest and concerns were heightened following the murder of Dr. Dennis Sandlin at his Perry County clinic last December.

“This is a complex, ugly problem,” said Karen Engle, director of UNITE, told those assembled at The Forum in Hazard.

Nearly 7 million people are using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes, said Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers. “Our region is crying out for ways to break free from the chains of addiction.”

Addiction comes at a heavy price, Engle said. “Young people are dying almost every day. We can account for over 100 overdose deaths since January alone” in 22 of the 29 counties of the Fifth District.

“These numbers show only a snapshot of what we’re up against,” Engle said. “We do not pretend to have all of the answers, but working together we can find real solutions that give guidance and direction to medical professionals everywhere.”

To that end, Engle announced the formation of a Medical Professional Advisory Council to provide input to UNITE’s Board of Directors.

“We need your help and your partnership,” Engle said. “Our goal is to reach out to you, get to know you, learn from you and ask you to lend us your expertise.”

The symposium began with an emotional call to action by Dr. Sandlin’s daughter, Denise.

“My father’s patients were his love and joy,” Denise Sandlin stated. “How do you help people who seemingly don’t want to help themselves? I truly hope you leave here asking more questions and seeking more answers.”

One of the most important short-term solutions is to better utilize the Kentucky All-Schedule Electronic Reporting (KASPER) system, considered as the best in the nation.

Currently 33 states operate some type of prescription monitoring program, but noted there is not currently a way to easily share information.

That law enforcement component, said Dave Hopkins with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, is critical to identifying and stopping abuse.

“We’ve asked for legislation to allow states to share information,” Rogers said, but stressed he opposes a proposed national program because it “locks out” the law enforcement use.

Another recurring theme during the morning presentations was the need to better educate all providers about addiction.

“Addiction is a chronic and relapsing disorder,” said Dr. Sharon Walsh, director of the UK Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. “The longer treatment is provided the greater success. Sometimes it is a lifetime.”

“Drug abuse is a preventable behavior (and) drug addiction is a treatable disease,” agreed Bob Neri, senior vice president and chief clinical officer for WestCare, which operates a treatment facility in Pike County.

But, Neri noted, most of the power to change behavior is lost before the teenage years. And once addicted, the most successful rehabilitation is through a “10-month dose” of treatment – both residential and clinical. The problem is it takes funding to provide this level of service, and currently that money is not available.

Drug diversion is also a critical concern.

“Substance abuse is still being treated as a subculture, but it’s permeating our culture. It has affected every family – including my own,” said Daniel Mongiardo, Kentucky’s lieutenant governor and a Perry County physician. “Most of the drugs that are on the street are coming from us, the providers.”

While most of the narcotics are dispensed legally, an unacceptable amount reaches the streets through illegal activity or ignorance, Mongiardo said.

“There are things you may be doing that unknowingly leads to this type of behavior,” Walsh said, noting it is important to enact practices that “reduce the risk” while maintaining appropriate levels of care to patients.

Dr. Lynn Webster, of the Utah-based Lifetree Clinical Research and Pain Clinic, called it a “pain paradox.”

“We are part of the problem,” Webster said. “Diversion is not acceptable and needs criminal intervention. Misuse, abuse and addiction must be addressed by the medical community.”

“It is a public health commitment to balance prescription drug prescribing and meeting needs,” said Dr. Marsha Stanton, a registered nurse and volunteer for the Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence. “The patient does have a responsibility” to realize the potential for abuse.”

“You work in the most violent procession in America,” said Bill Abney, who conducts risk management assessments. “It’s a frightening issue for which there are no easy answers. We need to draw the line on unacceptable behavior.”

Substance abuse is not just an Eastern Kentucky problem, but a national epidemic, the presenters stressed. There are, however, regional differences in the drugs of choice and how they are used.

“The rural folks and the urban folks really aren’t so different … but they are,” said Dr. Carl Leukefeld, chair of the UK Department of Behavioral Science.

Leukefeld cited a recent study that found nine different ways drugs are used. Rural users tend to start younger, are mostly white, have no religious preference and tend to crush and snort pills.

Other recommendations, gleaned from a series of four town hall-style forums held leading up to the symposium, include:

• Address aggressive behavior by establishing a written agreement explaining what is to be expected from both patients and providers. After three incidents the relationship could be terminated and reported to a network to alert other physicians.

• Create a “Prescriber’s Bill of Rights” through collaboration between physicians and the legal profession.

• Expand education for individuals and professionals on such issues as Casey’s Law, the UNITE Treatment Voucher program, the disease of addiction and treatment options.

• Increase training and awareness of KASPER and give physicians access to Kentucky CourtNet, which lists a person’s criminal history.

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org.

* * * * *
In 2003, Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (R-Somerset) worked to create Operation UNITE, a regional anti-drug initiative empowering citizens groups and community leaders in 29 southern and eastern Kentucky counties. UNITE, which stands for Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education, seeks to fight the drug epidemic by expanding drug awareness and education programs to keep people from using drugs; coordinating drug treatment and outreach programs for those who are already addicted; and operating regional undercover law enforcement task forces for interdiction and prosecution of those dealing drugs.  For more information contact Karen Engle toll-free at 1-866-678-6483.

Drug Tip Hotline – 1-866-424-4382     /     Treatment Referral Line – 1-866-90-UNITE (1-866-908-6483)

WestCare provides 4,100 volunteer hours. Workers cleared trees from roadways. (Click image to enlarge)

WestCare residents provide more than 4,100 hours of volunteer service to community, youth in 2009

PIKEVILLE – Residents at WestCare Kentucky’s facilities in Pike County provided 3,050 volunteer man-hours of service for community service projects and in support of Operation UNITE’s youth initiative during 2009.

Clients of the residential substance abuse treatment facility in Ashcamp and the homeless shelter and community involvement center in Pikeville were instrumental in park litter control, emergency flood relief efforts, a high school athletic facilities project, and UNITE’s basketball, football and school anti-drug club programs.

In addition, those in the treatment program provided 224 hours to WestCare’s Emergency Homeless Shelter and 888 hours to assist in preparing the former Lookout Elementary School property for a new women’s substance abuse treatment center.

“Recovery is not always about what you can get, but also about what you can give back,” said Mike Williams, clinical services director for the WestCare Hal Rogers Appalachian Recovery Center in Ashcamp. “The affirmation of worth and appreciation that they get from the community and from helping others is vital to their recovery.”

WestCare provides 4,100 volunteer hours. Chainsaws roared as crews cut trees out of roads. (Click image to enlarge)

WestCare’s mission is to empower everyone to engage in a process of healing, growth and change benefiting themselves, their families, co-workers and communities. This is accomplished through collective and individual efforts designed at “uplifting the human spirit.”

“Our guys have been in a pattern of living that has been so selfish and self-centered that they have no sense of pride in doing things for others,” Williams noted. “When they get an opportunity to do things for their communities they get to feel that sense of pride and ownership in positive, selfless activities.”

And the community benefits as a result.

“Since the day their doors opened WestCare’s staff has asked how they can become involved with UNITE and PRIDE,” said Karen Engle, who directs both the anti-drug and environmental education organizations throughout southern and eastern Kentucky.

“We are so blessed by their enthusiasm, spirit and tireless work ethic,” Engle continued. “For the first time in a long while these men believe in themselves and see hope for their future – and they’re not shy about sharing that joy and message with others.”

Last year, residents at the Ashcamp treatment facility provided:

• 102 hours at Fishtrap Lake during PRIDE Spring Cleanup in April
• 400 hours to help cleanup Johns Creek Elementary School following major flooding in May
• 60 hours to help clean up Virgie Park in May
• 72 hours helping set up for a May tourism event in Elkhorn City
• 834 hours at UNITE’s Shoot Hoops-Not Drugs basketball camps in Wolfe, Morgan, Floyd and Bell counties
• 160 hours for UNITE’s Tackling Drugs football camp in Pikeville in June
• 168 hours to help clean up at Belfry Elementary School in August
• 264 hours to help install baseball dugouts at East Ridge High School during September and October
• 84 hours assisting at UNITE’s “Piercing the Darkness of Drugs” Youth Summit in Prestonsburg in September
• 66 hours assisting at Elkhorn Community Church in September and October
• 40 hours helping remove trees in the Elkhorn Creek area in December
• 16 hours of community awareness activities in Floyd and Knott counties

Residents of the Homeless Shelter provide year-round assistance to keep Pikeville City Park free of trash and litter. In 2009 they logged 784 service hours on 68 clean-up days.

WestCare is a family of tax-exempt nonprofit organizations that has provided a wide spectrum of health and human services in both residential and outpatient environments for more than 30 years. Services include substance abuse and addiction treatment, homeless and runaway shelters, domestic violence treatment and prevention, and mental health programs. They specialize in helping people traditionally considered difficult to treat, such as those who are indigent, have multiple disorders, or are involved with the criminal justice system.

In addition to its men’s treatment facility at Ashcamp, WestCare Kentucky operates a Homeless Shelter, Community Involvement Center and a Jail Recovery Program in Pikeville, a Jail Recovery Program in Floyd County, and a Community Involvement Center in Estill County that provides licensed outpatient services.

For more information about the WestCare’s treatment facility call 606-754-7077; the Homeless Shelter and Community Involvement Center can be reached at 606-432-9442.

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org.

Kentucky River Properties has pledged $500,000 to support Operation UNITE's treatment voucher program and to support Drug Courts. The announcement was made January 25, 2010 in Hazard. From left are Letcher County Adult Circuit Drug Court Judge Sam Wright, Leslie County Adult Circuit Drug Court Judge Henria Bailey-Lewis, Fifth District Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers, Breathitt County Adult Circuit Drug Court Judge Frank Fletcher, UNITE Director Karen Engle, KRP Chief Engineer Danny Maggard, KRP President/CEO Fred Parker, KRP General Counsel Steve Barker, Perry County Adult Circuit Drug Court Judge William Engle, Knott County Adult Circuit Drug Court Judge Kim Childers, and Perry County Juvenile Drug Court Judge Leigh Anne Stephens. (Click image to enlarge)

HAZARD –Kentucky River Properties, LLC, has pledged $500,000 to the Operation UNITE Foundation over the next five years to provide substance abuse treatment.

The first $100,000 installment was formally presented to UNITE Director Karen Engle and Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers during a dinner held at Hazard Community and Technical College on January 25.

“We are proud to support Operation UNITE’s efforts to provide substance abuse treatment for residents in Southeastern Kentucky,” said Fred Parker, president of Kentucky River Properties. “Our company’s philosophy is to provide as much support as possible to schools, families and organizations within our service region, and our board members felt this is one of the best investments we could make.”

The funding will be used to provide $80,000 per year in UNITE treatment vouchers to low-income residents of Perry, Knott, Leslie and Letcher counties. In addition, $20,000 per year will go to support Drug Court programs in each of these four counties.

UNITE currently provides vouchers up to $3,000 for short-term treatment (up to 89 days) and up to $5,000 for long-term treatment (90 days or more).

“This means at least 80 people will be able to receive help for their addictions over the next five years because of Kentucky River Properties’ donation,” Engle noted.

Drug Courts – a special court given the responsibility to handle cases involving drug-addicted non-violent offenders through an extensive supervision and treatment program – is a non-adversarial team approach to criminal behavior resulting from drug addiction.

While all Drug Courts are now operated through the Administrative Office of the Courts, UNITE community coalitions frequently assist in providing resources for graduations, transportation needs and other basic essentials.

“The money will be a tremendous asset to individuals trying to get their life back on track,” said Engle. “Many times people are overwhelmed with the recovery process and feel hopeless in finding a way to obtain basic necessities. Having funding for one-time needs can make the difference in whether or not an addict graduates and ultimately changes his or her lifestyle once and for all.”

Drug Court judges will determine how the Kentucky River Properties funding will be allocated in each county.

Rogers noted that treatment is an essential element in any long-term strategy to reduce substance abuse.

“A real threat to the communities within the Fifth District comes from the increasing prevalence of substance abuse,” Rogers stated. “Nearly every family has experienced the pain inflicted through abuse of prescription or illegal drugs.”

“Consequently, these problems migrate into our workplaces. Coal, oil and gas operations are no exception,” Rogers continued. “When team members or potential employees struggle against addiction, either directly or within their families, this creates real safety concerns, loss of productivity, and greater liability issues.”

With addiction threatening to destroy the basic fabric of society, it is vital for those most dependant upon a vibrant economy to step forward to help meet the critical needs, Rogers noted. “Kentucky River Properties has made a huge commitment to invest in the future of an entire region.”

The donation has already had a noticeable impact.

“We place an average of 23 people per month into a residential substance abuse program through the UNITE Voucher Program,” Engle said. “Under normal circumstances individuals in need of treatment would be placed on a waiting list, which typically runs about one month. In these four counties we will be able to eliminate this wait once they have met the qualification guidelines.”

Kentucky River Properties is a land company formed in 2002 after a restructuring of its parent company, Kentucky River Coal Corporation.

The company, which has offices in Hazard, Henderson and Lexington, owns approximately 250,000 acres in Breathitt, Clay, Harlan, Knott, Leslie, Letcher and Perry counties. Most of its income is generated from leases to about 25 coal companies with operations on these properties. Income is also derived from oil and gas sales and royalties, timber sales and surface rentals.

 “Kentucky’s abundant coal resource and its oil and natural gas industries play a vital role in this nation’s energy plans,” Parker stated. “Substance abuse threatens to destroy the infrastructure so vital to our future. We are in a position to do something about this threat by helping Operation UNITE provide much-needed treatment.”

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org.

* * * * *
In 2003, Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (R-Somerset) worked to create Operation UNITE, a regional anti-drug initiative empowering citizens groups and community leaders in 29 southern and eastern Kentucky counties. UNITE, which stands for Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education, seeks to fight the drug epidemic by expanding drug awareness and education programs to keep people from using drugs; coordinating drug treatment and outreach programs for those who are already addicted; and operating regional undercover law enforcement task forces for interdiction and prosecution of those dealing drugs.  For more information contact Karen Engle toll-free at 1-866-678-6483.

Drug Tip Hotline – 1-866-424-4382     /     Treatment Referral Line – 1-866-90-UNITE (1-866-908-6483)

UNITE

MANCHESTER – Fourteen Clay County residents have been identified for arrest following a 10-month undercover investigation by Operation UNITE centering on the illegal sale and distribution of the drug Suboxone. 

In conjunction with the Manchester Police Department, which also had drug-related warrants to serve, UNITE detectives set out to arrest approximately 20 suspects early Tuesday morning. Deputies from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the operation. 

Suboxone is an opiod medication generally prescribed to reduce other narcotic dependency. 

The primary ingredient of Suboxone is Buprenophine, which has limited effects of other opiods such as Oxycodone or heroin. The drug also contains Naloxone to counter these effects and to discourage people from dissolving the tablet and injecting it. 

Taken at the appropriate doses and by dissolving the tablet under one’s tongue, Suboxone helps to reduce illicit drug use and keep patients in treatment by suppressing symptoms of opiod withdrawl and decreasing cravings for opiods. 

“Like Methadone, its clinic-based cousin in opiate addiction therapy, Suboxone is susceptible to abuse because it produces the euphoric effects a user craves,” noted Paul Hays, deputy law enforcement director for UNITE. “Unfortunately, Suboxone has quickly become a drug of choice by illegal dealers and recreational drug users in Clay County searching for a new way to get high.” 

Hays noted that most of those dealing in Suboxone were diverting their own medications that had been obtained lawfully with a prescription. 

Members of the Clay Countians UNITED coalition were on hand as suspects were brought back for processing to offer assistance. 

As of early afternoon Tuesday, nine people had been arrested by Operation UNITE and lodged in the Clay County Detention Center: 

• Gerald L. Becknell, age 34, Locust Street, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. 

• David Shannon Bundy, age 27, Herd Cemetery Road, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

 • Harmon Edward Coffman, age 49, Crawfish Road, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (Hydrocodone). 

• Denver Duff, age 39, Yeager Branch Road, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (Hydrocodone). 

• Eddie Michael Feltner, age 26, North Highway 421, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. 

• Shannon Hicks, age 37, Rockhouse Road, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. 

• Charles Jarvis, age 30, Highway 80, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. 

• Eli Marcum, age 59, Gregory Branch Road, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. 

• Lonnie Philpot, age 31, Philpot Lane, Manchester, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and criminal possession of a forged instrument. 

Law enforcement officers were continuing to search for the other five suspects. 

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org.