Louisville nonprofit brings 'personal' approach to addiction treatment
Citizens Attacking Addiction founded in 2017
Citizens Attacking Addiction founded in 2017
Citizens Attacking Addiction founded in 2017
A local nonprofit hopes a personal approach will help people struggling with addiction get clean.
Citizens Attacking Addiction, or CAA, was established in 2017. Since then, the group has worked on a five-year plan to help as many people as they can.
"This is not a government agency or a health care provider," said Jean Schumm, a member of CAA. "This is citizens that have been touched by addiction reaching out to fellow citizens."
Schumm said group members work with each addict or family to develop a personalized plan.
"You really have to get this information on the front end and try to make the best decision as early as possible," said Schumm. "These drugs are so deadly."
At a luncheon on the University of Louisville campus Wednesday, CAA members met with U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman, who represents the Western District of Kentucky. He also delivered the event's keynote address.
"We lost 1,333 Kentuckians last year," said Coleman. "Yes, we were down 15 percent in terms of overdose deaths last year, and we celebrate that, but that is just not acceptable to me. We must do a better job."
Coleman applauded groups like CAA and said law enforcement must do a better job of collaborating with every party that is interested in combating the state's drug epidemic.
"We must collaborate more effectively," said Coleman. "This is an opportunity to bring people together to work across sectors, to serve as a resource to attempt to mitigate a threat like we've never faced before."
CAA is a nonprofit, meaning they offer their services for free. Members encourage anyone struggling with addiction to visit their website.
Schumm said the work is personal for every member of the group. Some have even lost loved ones to addiction.
"They've lived it," said Schumm. "They have experienced it, and so they'll be able to sit one-on-one with someone who's just getting into it and maybe save them some heartache, some decision making and get them on the right path."