Opioid Grant to provide transportation and laundry services

By Editor | February 13, 2024 |

By Carmen Ensinger

Greene County Health Department Public Health Administrator Molly Peters brought a very practical and useful use of the remaining $37,000 in the Opioid Grant the department received.
At the Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6, Peters addressed members of the committee about what she would like to see done with these funds.
“We had some discussion about how we would like to see those funds used,” Peters said. “One thing we discussed was the need for transportation – the need for a vehicle and effective transportation for individuals in recovery to get them to and from either treatment, jobs or medical appointments.”
Another thing they feel is needed is the ability for those in recovery to have access to a laundry.
“We are trying to create a more functional support system for individuals at our Roodhouse location and this would include things like a laundry service,” Peters said. “So, what we would like to do is put in a washer and dryer at our Roodhouse location and then individuals who are seeking clean clothes for interviews and things like that would be able to easily wash their clothes there with no fee or questions asked.”
Peters said both of these items are needed in the community, especially the vehicle, as transportation is a major barrier in actually receiving recovery and treatment.
“We are trying to work closely with the Sheriff, Probation Department and States Attorney’s Office to help make decisions about what is currently needed most for individuals,” Peters said. “The vehicle and laundry services are a start.”
One thing Peters assured the board of was that the car would be driven by a contract driver.
“We will be hiring someone to take the people to their appointments so it wouldn’t be our clients actually driving the vehicle – I wanted to be clear about that,” Peters said.
It was also pointed out that the vehicle would be a county vehicle so if it wasn’t being used for those purposes it could be utilized for other purposes.
In the Judiciary Committee meeting, further discussion was held about what to do with the building the county purchased across from the courthouse.
Last month, the board entertained ideas from Public Defender Tom Piper who wanted to move his offices over there. Piper was going to close his White Hall office and move down to Carrollton.
However, the board felt that the building was too big for just his office and talked about putting probation offices in there as well. Piper felt there wasn’t enough room for his office and probation.
As for him (Piper) taking over the offices vacated by probation, Piper was against that because he felt it didn’t look right for the Public Defender to be in the same building as the State’s Attorney.
Board Chairman Andrea Schnelten said she had given the situation a lot of thought over the last month.
“I just think probation could fill the space more appropriately, especially since they are looking to expand their offices,” she said. “I think putting them over there would be the best use of that space. That is just my personal opinion.”
Board member Earlene Castleberry agreed.
“At first I was against probation going over there, but after talking with the Sheriff and head of probation, it just makes sense,” she said. “I think that is utilizing the building for the best space usage.”
As for the public defender, Schnelten said they can come up with a plan for him when the time comes.
“For now, the public defender still has his space and not knowing who the next one is going to be, we may just work with that when they get here,” she said. “In the interim, if he doesn’t want to go to White Hall and needs a place to work, he can always use the probation offices.”
The board formerly approved moving the probation offices to the new building at the Thursday, Feb. 8 board meeting.