Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. Receives Grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Paths to Recovery, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced today that Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. (KRCC) is one of 10 substance abuse treatment sites selected to receive funding and participate in a unique learning collaborative which will address organizational barriers to substance abuse treatment.

KRCC and the other treatment sites selected are leading providers in the field who have been making innovative changes in their own organizations. By redesigning processes such as client intake, assessment, scheduling, outreach, and family involvement, the Paths to Recovery goal is to create a more efficient system that is less frustrating for both clients and staff, and that makes it easier for clients to complete treatment.

Nationally, fewer than one in four people addicted to alcohol or drugs receive treatment, and as many as half of those who do successfully access treatment leave their treatment program before its full benefit can be realized. There are three main reasons for this, explains David Gustafson, director of the Paths to Recovery initiative. "For some the issue is finances, for others the issue is readiness. But we've found that often the real issue keeping patients from treatment is the way that services are delivered, and this is the issue each organization participating in the Paths to Recovery program is addressing."

KRCC is a community mental health center serving the eight counties comprising the Kentucky River Region – Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher Owsley, Perry, and Wolfe Counties. Louise Howell, KRCC Executive Director stated, "Paths to Recovery is part of KRCC's continuing efforts to address severe substance abuse treatment shortages in our region. This grant funding is an invaluable resource."

For more information about the Paths to Recovery project and the selected substance abuse treatment sites, please visit www.pathstorecovery.org.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. It concentrates its grantmaking in four goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to quality health care at reasonable cost; to improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; to promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse - tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs.

Paths to Recovery is a national initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation designed to strengthen the substance abuse field's ability to significantly and continuously improve the care processes that facilitate patient access to and retention in substance abuse treatment programs.