Prevention

Programs and strategies designed to stop substance use before it starts by promoting early identification and intervention, especially among youth. Prevention efforts often include education, training, and support for families, schools, and communities.

Resources

• Youth-Focused Prevention (NACo)
• Opioid Dashboard (Kentucky Youth Advocates)
• Better Without It Initiative

• Floyd County partners with Family Resource Youth Services Centers to offer counseling and wraparound services to youth affected by the opioid crisis, with strong collaboration between local government and schools.
• Graves County supports its youth council through the ASAP coalition, focusing on prevention and mental health awareness to empower young leaders and reduce stigma in the community.

Harm Reduction

A public health approach that reduces the negative consequences of drug use and improves community safety. Strategies include naloxone distribution, syringe service programs, and post-overdose outreach—meeting people where they are and connecting them to care and support.

Resources 

• Quick Response Teams (Kentucky Public Health)
• Naloxone Information Sheet (NACo)
• Find Naloxone Now Kentucky (Naloxone location website)
• Syringe Services Programs (NACo)
• Post-Overdose Response Teams (NACo)
• Harm Reduction as an Opioid Abatement Strategy (NACo)

Counties in Action 

• Hardin County operates a Quick Response Team (QRT) for post-overdose outreach and support.
• Breckinridge County supports naloxone distribution through collaboration with their local health department.

Recovery Supports

Services that help individuals sustain long-term recovery from substance use disorder. These may include peer support, recovery housing, employment assistance, and reentry services for people leaving incarceration.

Resources

• Find Recovery Housing Now (Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center)
• Coordination of Care Upon Release from Incarceration (NACo)

Counties in Action

• Pike County funds the Recovery Resource Center through their local health department to provide essential recovery services.
• McCracken County invests opioid settlement funds in the Turning Point Recovery Community Center, addressing unmet needs for people in recovery.

Treatment

Evidence-based medical and behavioral interventions for individuals with substance use disorder. This includes detoxification, counseling, inpatient or outpatient care, and access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), including in correctional settings.

Resources

• Find Help Now (Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center)
• Warm Hand-Off Programs (NACo)
• Linkage to Care Across County Systems (NACo)
• Medication-Assisted Treatment (“MAT”) for Opioid Use Disorder (NACo)
• Effective Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder for incarcerated Populations (NACo)
• Treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NACo)
• Increasing Access to Evidence-Based Treatment (NACo)
• Pre-Arrest Diversion (NACo)
• Comprehensive Services for People with Co-Occurring Disorders

Counties in Action

• Boone County is enhancing public safety through a Police Social Worker Program funded by opioid settlement dollars. Social workers respond alongside deputies to mental health and substance use calls, connecting residents to treatment, housing, and harm reduction services.
• Boyd County has launched a Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) program in the county jail, providing evidence-based treatment to incarcerated individuals and supporting continuity of care upon release.