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New River Valley Recovery Ecosystem Program gets another year of opioid‑abatement support
Summary
Holly Lesko told the county board that the New River Valley Recovery Ecosystem Program entered Year 2 with new Opioid Abatement Authority funding plus carryforward; activities include trauma training, expanding peer workforce, rural outreach, and planning a community support fund for gap payments.
Holly Lesko, who presented to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors Dec. 16, said the New River Valley Recovery Ecosystem Program is entering a second year with additional competitive funding from the Opioid Abatement Authority plus carryforward dollars from Year 1.
Leske (presenter) said program priorities for Year 2 include continuing trauma-informed training, growing the peer workforce (people with lived experience in recovery), launching targeted outreach in more rural localities such as Giles and Floyd, and creating a community support fund at the Community Foundation to cover gap payments for services such as treatment, housing or utilities. Leske said the fund could be operational by March and that the program continues close collaboration with higher-education recovery communities at New River Community College, Radford University and Virginia Tech.
Board members thanked Leske and regional partners; County Administrator Angie Hill noted annual renewal of the county’s operation agreement with the Opioid Abatement Authority was on the agenda and that the grant cycle requires annual action. A disclosure was made by one supervisor who serves on the board of a nonprofit that may receive grant funds; the supervisor said they have no role in decisions on how that money is spent.
Leske described outreach and stigma-reduction efforts and noted the region has been asked to present its model at statewide workshops. She encouraged local officials to help spread information via the program’s Road to Wellness landing page and social media channels.
Next steps: the board approved the annual operation agreement and staff will complete the administrative steps necessary to continue participating in the grant cycle for Year 2.
