3RD judicial district recovery court expansion project - the third judicial district recovery court has authority in greene, hamblen, hancock, and hawkins counties but, due to resource constraints,…

3RD judicial district recovery court expansion project - the third judicial district recovery court has authority in greene, hamblen, hancock, and hawkins counties but, due to resource constraints, primarily serves hamblen county. The recovery court expansion project aims to expand much-needed felony treatment court services to justice-involved residents throughout the district. This expansion has the potential to significantly reduce criminal activity and drug addiction behaviors in eastern tennessee. The third judicial district recovery court's population of focus for the recovery court expansion project is individuals in greene, hamblen, hancock, and hawkins counties with post-plea nonviolent felony offenses who have substance use disorders or CO-occurring mental health issues. These counties in eastern tennessee are primarily white (94%), with median household incomes significantly below tennessee's median household income of $64,035 (in 2022 dollars). Additionally, 16.1% of residents in greene, hamblen, hancock, and hawkins counties live in poverty, 2.8% higher than tennessee as a whole and 4.6% higher than the national average. Greene, hamblen, hancock, and hawkins counties are geographically and culturally part of appalachia. Appalachia's high opioid use rate stems from a mix of geographic, cultural, and economic factors. Limited access to healthcare due to remoteness and a shortage of providers makes treatment difficult. Cultural factors like stigma around addiction and self-reliance further complicate seeking help. Additionally, aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies is blamed for contributing to the opioid crisis in the region. The third judicial district recovery court is proud to partner with the helen ross mcnabb center, a leading non-profit mental health provider in east tennessee since 1948. The helen ross mcnabb center shares the court's commitment to empowering individuals and families to overcome challenges and thrive. Through this partnership, recovery court participants gain access to the helen ross mcnabb center's comprehensive network of services, including outpatient clinics, residential programs, and crisis intervention. The helen ross mcnabb center employs a variety of evidence-based practices to serve the court's population, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing. These interventions have proven successful with justice-involved individuals with substance use disorders and CO-occurring mental health disorders. With funding from the substance abuse and mental health services administration, the third judicial district recovery court aims to: 1. Hire two additional case managers to increase organizational capacity to assess program applicants for substance use and mental health disorders. 2. Gain community support for recovery and rehabilitation by expanding education and employment programming for program participants and conducting outreach through social media and community events. 3. Improve public safety by reducing recidivism among program participants. 4. Provide quality, evidence-based treatment services to 40 nonviolent felony offenders who have substance use disorders or CO-occurring mental health issues annually (200 individuals throughout the five-year grant period).