Oct. 23, 2019 – On Oct. 22, Indiana Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement Jim McClelland announced that three regional partnerships have been awarded funds to establish recovery networks and seek designation as comprehensive addiction recovery networks. The regional partnerships, which span the entire state of Indiana, include Regional Health Systems in Merrillville, IN, Eskenazi Health and Community Mental Health Center in Lawrenceburg, IN.

The grants are funded by Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Recovery initiative to combat the drug crisis. A press conference was held in honor of this announcement with remarks given by Dr. Ashley Overley, CEO of the Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center, and George Hurd, vice president of Community Behavioral Health. Together in partnership, the Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center and Community Health Network’s Mental and Behavioral Health Division will create the Central Indiana Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Center (CICARC). The two organizations will work in tandem with a network of four leading community behavioral health treatment organizations: Volunteers of America, Options Behavioral Health, Pathway to Recovery and Dove Recovery House.

Each designated comprehensive addiction recovery network will offer the full spectrum of substance use care including assessments, inpatient, outpatient and medication-assisted treatment, peer support services, recovery residences, job training and workforce readiness services, and family support services. The focus will be to provide treatment to those who are diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) or individuals who are dually diagnosed with a primary diagnosis of SUD and are also in need of treatment for mental illness.

When the networks are complete, the regional partnerships will be eligible to apply to receive a designation from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) as a comprehensive addiction recovery network. DMHA will oversee the development process and work closely with the designated entities to ensure they have support in implementing evidence-based practices to help people enter or maintain recovery from substance use disorders.

This partnership between the Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center and Community Behavioral Health, the two largest community mental health centers in Marion County, will provide the strongest possible basis for effective services for this vulnerable population in Central Indiana. The goal for the CICARC is to be open to accept patients by or before June 30, 2020 as a certified Indiana comprehensive addiction recovery network.

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CONTACT: Todd Harper
Phone: 317.880.4785
Cell: 317.402.9327
Email: todd.harper@eskenazihealth.edu