JAY — Healthy Community Coalition [HCC] is bringing two new recovery centers to Franklin County. The centers, located in Jay and Farmington, will be spaces for those in recovery to socialize with others as well as take classes offered by the center.
The program, officially called the Franklin County Recovery Center, is piloted by HCC and funded by the state for two years to combat the ongoing crisis of substance abuse in Franklin County. Additional funds will be sought once the two locations have opened their doors and HCC is able to demonstrate the need for such a program in Franklin County based on the community response to the center.
Due to budget constraints, the centers will only be open for one day a week at their respective locations. The Jay recovery center will be located at St. Rose of Lima on 1 Church Street and open its doors Tuesday, March 7, and will be open every subsequent Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Farmington location will be at St. Joseph Church on 133 Middle Street and will have the same hours of operation as the Jay recovery center. However, it will open its doors on Thursday, Mar. 9, and will be open every subsequent Thursday.
Ashley McCarthy, a program management specialist for HCC, is spearheading the project and simply wanted to create a center for those in recovery to feel safe and free of substance abuse.
“If you Google Recovery Center, so many different things come up,” McCarthy said in a phone interview. “Because it’s such a generic term.”
As this time, the recovery center will not be for treatment, harm reduction or a needle exchange, though McCarthy hopes to expand into those options in the future if the centers are successful.
“The Recovery Center is going to be for folks in recovery, to come and just be accepted and be safe in a like a substance free environment,” McCarthy stated. “There might be some peer led groups going on, but also just a place that somebody can come in and grab a cup of coffee and just sit, play a board game or a card game with somebody, or just talk to somebody.”
McCarthy also explicitly stated that doors to the recovery center are open to everyone, regardless of recovery status.
“We’re never going to turn anybody away,” she said. “It’s not like I’m going to ask you at the door, ‘Are you in recovery? How long have you been in recovery?’ Anybody is welcome.”
McCarthy also stated interest in having classes, such as a smart recovery class, which will have evidence-based examples of recovery.
“We also are offering different classes, like possibly the cooking class or living well, or a parenting class,” she said. “Things that are a little bit more generic to folks and doesn’t necessarily mean [recovery]. It’s helping them in their recovery, but it might be helping them in another way.”
According to her, the planning stages are winding down with HCC and their partners establishing rules and guidelines for the locations as they prepare for launch next month.
“Father Paul [Dumais] has been instrumental in planning,” McCarthy stated. According to her, it was Dumais who suggested the operation dates and times correlate with the hours and operations of St. Rose’s thrift store and food pantry, as well as the food pantry located at St. Josephs.
“Not only are folks being able to access this recovery center, but they’ll be able to access other services that the church provides, which is fabulous,” she added.
For more information on the recovery centers, please contact HCC at [207] 779-3136. If you wish to contact the parishes for more information, they can be reached at [207] 897-2173 [St. Rose of Lima Church] and [207] 778-2778 [St. Joseph Church].
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