NC HHS Secretary Kody Kinsley to Participate in Appalachian Regional Commission’s 2024 INSPIRE Awards

MEDIA ADVISORY - North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley is attending the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) 2024 INSPIRE Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. in Asheville, N.C. ARC will announce $11.5 million in funding for 39 projects in nine states, including North Carolina, to support substance use recovery initiatives. Secretary Kinsley, a member of the Substance Use Disorder Advisory Council, will participate in the announcement and a SUD Recovery-to-Work Ecosystem panel discussion moderated by ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin.

RALEIGH

Sep 17, 2024

North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley is attending the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) 2024 INSPIRE Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. in Asheville, N.C. ARC will announce $11.5 million in funding for 39 projects in nine states, including North Carolina, to support substance use recovery initiatives. Secretary Kinsley, a member of the Substance Use Disorder Advisory Council, will participate in the announcement and a SUD Recovery-to-Work Ecosystem panel discussion moderated by ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin.

The funding comes during National Recovery Month and is part of ARC's Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative. The investments will be used to address the impact of substance use disorder in Appalachia by supporting projects that create or expand services throughout the recovery ecosystem to support workforce entry and reentry.

Land of Sky Regional Council in Asheville, one of the INSPIRE grant recipients, will be awarded $499,879 for their Treatment Court Support Systems Project, which partners with drug treatment court systems in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Rutherford and Transylvania counties. This investment will support individuals in recovery and place them on a trajectory for a successful career.

Another award recipient is HIGHTS Inc, who will receive $18,000 in ARC funds for the Expanding the Recovery Ecosystem for Western North Carolina Opportunity Youth project, to address the need to establish a continuum of care for behavioral health services and support youth experiencing substance use and mental health challenges in Western North Carolina.

Panelists will include:

• Kody Kinsley, Secretary of the NC Department of Health and Human Services (member of SUD advisory council)
• Dr. April Bragg, Senior Officer of Community Investment for Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder at Dogwood Health Trust
• Kit Roberts, Director of Recovery-Friendly Workforce Program, Western Carolina Industries (ARC grantee)
• Christian Grunder, Vice President of Human Resources, Givens Communities (a recovery-friendly workplace)

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 30.5 million adults aged 18 or older reported that they had or have a substance use problem. Among these adults, 22.2 million people considered themselves to be in recovery or to have recovered. Investments such as ARC's INSPIRE initiative are essential to building solid behavioral health infrastructure needed to support and make workforce participation more accessible to individuals in recovery from SUD.

WHAT: ARC 2024 INSPIRE Awards
Announcement Press Conference and
SUD Ecosystem Panel Discussion

WHO: Kody Kinsley, Secretary, NCDHHS and member of SUD advisory council
Gayle Manchin, Federal Co-Chair, ARC
Kenny Flowers, Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development, NC Department of Commerce
Nathan Ramsey, Executive Director, Land of Sky Regional Council
Dr. April Bragg, Senior Officer of Community Investment for Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder, Dogwood Health Trust
Kit Roberts, Director of Recovery-Friendly Workforce Program, Western Carolina Industries and ARC grantee
Christian Grunder, Vice President of Human Resources, Givens Communities (a recovery-friendly workplace)

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 18
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

WHERE: Land of Sky Regional Council
339 New Leicester Highway, Site 140
Asheville, NC 28806

MEDIA: Credentialed media should arrive at 12:45 p.m. Please RSVP online here if you plan to attend.

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