By: Tara Pulaski
ARGILLITE, Ky. – Earlier this spring, the Northeastern Citizen Review Panel (CRP) hosted an overdose response and resource event at the Argillite Community Service Center in Argillite, Ky. Argillite is an unincorporated community in Greenup County, on the eastern side of the state.
The Northeastern CRP, a group of volunteers that strive to improve child welfare in their community, offered the event to combat increasing overdoses and a lack of resources in their area. Over 250 members of the community attended the event.
The event brought together several community partners to provide information and on-site services, including free medical and wellness screenings. Partners included King’s Daughter Medical, KY-Moms, Pathways and Pathways to Go, the Greenup County Health Department, Porchlight Sexual Assault Resource Center, Aetna, Passport Health Plan, KYNECT, Northeast Head Start, Ramey Estep Re-Group, Greenup County Ambulance Authority, Greenup County Sheriff, and the Greenup County Bookmobile.
In addition to the wellness checks, the event featured free Narcan and training, giveaways, and activities for children. Food was provided by the Northeastern CRP and cooked by local vendors Roy Imel Catering and One Stop Grocery Store. The event also featured live music by Kentucky Memories. Attendees had the opportunity to eat lunch, listen to bluegrass music, and visit the many community partner booths.
The overdose response and resource event also served as the kickoff for the new Argillite Community Service Center, a non-profit organization that plans to offer services year-round. They plan to have a food bank, clothing drive, wellness checks, and more. The Northeastern CRP partnered with the board of the community center to make this event possible, as many board members are also CRP members.
Moving forward, the Northeastern CRP hopes to give back to their region next year. At the event, they conducted a needs assessment, which will guide future efforts. The panel remains passionate about helping all members of their community with compassion and understanding.
Kentucky has nine regional Citizen Review Panels across the state. The Northeastern panel covers fifteen counties, including Bath, Bracken, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Greenup, Lawrence, Lewis, Mason, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Robertson, and Rowan Counties. Kentucky’s CRPs are coordinated by staff at the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work.
For more information and to join your local CRP, visit the CRP website.
