As we enter the New Year, SOAR just released their “Top 10 Appalachia Kentucky Businesses to Watch in 2021”, and Addiction Recovery Care made the list. With growth and innovation, ARC expects to position itself as an industry leader in the battle against addiction.
As COVID hit the United States, those in the recovery sector watched as their work to reduce overdoses and deaths took a step back. The CDC reported last month the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period. Answering the call for help, Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) opened two 100+ bed facilities, Riverplace, a men’s residential facility (Pike County), and Creekside, a women’s residential facility (Knott County). In addition to these centers, the company transformed an old college campus in Springfield, Kentucky, into the state’s most comprehensive recovery campus when the team opened Crown Recovery Center. Crown Recovery Center is set to be the first recovery center of its kind, housing more than 700 clients at capacity. The facility will offer ARC’s full continuum of care.
ARC embraced the opportunity COVID offered to innovate new ways to approach the recovery sector. As they found themselves fighting the epidemic of addiction in the middle of a pandemic, life changed, and ARC leadership knew how they treated addiction would have to change too. The company launched the ARC Anywhere App, a supportive, on-demand, online recovery community that provided telehealth substance abuse treatment through a smartphone or computer. This is a solution that will expand and transform access to treatment in Appalachia.
ARC’s focus is turning recovery into second-chance employment opportunities. In January, they began engaging in the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families (BEES) study. The initiative evaluates the effectiveness of innovative programs designed to boost employment and earnings among low-income Americans.
Education is also vital for those in recovery. In 2019 ARC supported “The Millard College” as it became a licensed post-secondary institution for its addiction recovery studies program. In August, the college started its first certificate program. Meanwhile, beginning sometime in 2021, Millard College will offer the Addiction Recovery Studies program. It will be adding a certificate in Behavioral Health Technician, and the Peer Support Academy will move to Millard College as a certificate program. The Millard College is currently working with an accreditation provider, and once accredited, will begin accepting federal financial aid with a vision to offer associate and bachelor degree programs in the years to come.
In 2021 ARC expects to dig in its heels to become a progressive and innovative leader for addiction recovery. They anticipate expanding services into new and existing markets through residential and outpatient facilities. Within the next few months, Crown Recovery Center is expected to become fully operational serving hundreds of clients daily. The company also plans to widen its vision with new educational opportunities through the Millard College and add to its portfolio of vocational tracks.
ARC and its senior leadership have teamed up with ACT NOW, an initiative to build stronger relationships between communities and law enforcement. With ARC’s help, several Eastern Kentucky communities were selected as pilot communities. The program will help identify police and sheriff departments’ resources to better tackle issues like the drug epidemic.
ARC’s unique blend of treatment and nationally renowned “Crisis to Career” model has yielded staggering success rates compared to other intervention programs. The expectation is to transform Appalachia and beyond by taking one of our most significant societal challenges and turning it into one of our greatest opportunities.
