Published: November 14, 2009 12:07 am      

Louisa says no to rehab program

LOUISA — When it comes to helping people recover from addiction, city officials in Louisa have decided to ‘Just Say No.’

After hearing the concerns of a crowd of city residents during a city council meeting last week, elected leaders voted to sign no agreements regarding an addiction-recovery program proposed by Community Fellowship, a church in downtown Louisa.

Church leaders say they don’t plan to let the city’s vote of no confidence stand in their way and hope to clear up the community’s misconceptions about their plans.

Tim Robinson, a church elder and former assistant county attorney, said he understands the concerns of those who have spoken against the effort to bring the Odyssey program to Louisa.

“What this has been about is a lot of misinformation,” Robinson said, later adding, “I understand that drug addiction is scary and fearful for a community. If the allegations were true, I would’ve probably been at the city council meeting, too.”

Robinson said the church is dedicated to the cause, however, and won’t be hindered by the city’s decision.

“They’re not going to stop our ministry. We’re moving forward,” Robinson said, quickly adding the church doesn’t plan to do anything to hurt the city or cause bad will in the community. “As the pastor has always said, ‘We’re here to help the community, not harm it.’”

Pastor Rick May, a former Lawrence County deputy, said a program for drug treatment has been at the heart of Community Fellowship’s ministry since it was founded nearly 18 months ago.

“The whole reason we were founded here was the addiction to drug problem in the Big Sandy Valley,” May said. “It’s been our mission ever since this fellowship started.” As a law enforcement officer, May said he “personally just got tired of zipping up body bags and putting young people in them.”

The pastor said one of the greatest misunderstandings attached to the project is the idea that drug addicts from other places would be housed in Louisa.

“We’re not going to be bringing them in — they’re already here,” May said Friday, acknowledging the depth of addiction issues in Lawrence and surrounding counties.

Both Robinson and May said long-term plans do include establishment of a men’s and a women’s shelter in the area, although their initial program in downtown Louisa will essentially offer spiritual and secular counseling as part of a proven program to help people beat addiction. Odyssey will also serve as a clearing house to help families, businesses and the judicial system find residential program placement for people with addiction problems, a process that now take at least two to three months to complete and requires extensive paperwork. Odyssey will also provide resources including an “intensive outpatient” program.

May said fundamental Christian values are the key to the Odyssey program’s success rate.

“I’ve seen every program coming down the line — we can see it’s not working,” May said, citing the failure rate of drug and alcohol programs including drug court and community organizations. “We believe in the power of Christ. Christ is the answer to any addiction. Jesus came to bring healing. We’ve sat around too long as the church and now it’s time to implement Jesus into our lives and let him make the changes.”

For information about Odyssey, including resources for churches, parents, business owners and others seeking help for a person with addiction problems, call (606) 638-0938.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2651.