By Melody Eller
My beloved Greene County”, says Christine Gardner proudly. Having lived in the area since 1980, most of her life has been dedicated to helping others. After retiring in 2011 from a career where she managed economic development programs and business incubators, she was approached by President Judge Toothman who saw the rapid growth of the opioid addiction in the county and the immediate need for a solution. With Christine’s professional background and her passion in helping the community he appointed her as the Court Assistant for Program Development.
Along with Judge Lou Dayich, they applied for a $150,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), which they were originally turned down for. Determined, a few additional attempts were made and the request was finally approved. Plans to move forward with a drug court program for defendants who have been charged both with drug crimes and crimes that are committed to support a drug habit could now begin. The PCCD grant was a joint project/effort between the Greene County Court System and the Greene County Board of Commissioners and is an ongoing partnership with many providers including Greene County Single County Authority, Mental Health, D&A and our county jail and service providers.
According to NADCP (National Association of Drug Court Professionals) 20.2 million American adults (about 1 in 10) have a substance use disorder. 43.6 million (about 1 in 5) have a mental health problem. Tragically, people with these disorders are more likely to be incarcerated than treated. The need for assistance in rehabilitation and recovery is greater now than ever before and increasing. “Addiction is a disease”, says Gardner. “And it affects everyone. The wealthy and the poor. This is a tornado that we need to get our arms around. We are raising a generation of orphans due to the addiction crises”.
Drug courts have been around for 30 years with more than 3,000 treatment courts and are saving lives in all 50 states. Participation and successful completion of this rigid 18-24-month drug court program, followed by two years of case management follow-ups, can help defendants redirect and restore their lives and avoid incarceration. The program entails starting with a quality assessment. They will then have their own individual service plan created with frequent drug testing, court appearances and treatment services. Along with the drug court planning committee, they will appear in front of the judge to discuss the individuals progress. Case management, hand holding and accountability are three important factors in the drug court process.
The drug court team and the District Attorney, will select the individuals who qualify for the program. The team has developed the handbook and policies and are currently working on the incentives for the program.
“Our aim with this program is to proceed slowly to get a great foundation under it”, says Gardner. “The state is coming to train our team in January and we hope to get the program running by mid-February to the beginning of March”, she adds. Christine also states that it’s very important to take notice that it’s not just one individual taking on this epidemic but rather it’s the whole community acting together. “Greene County has always been about coming together in a crisis’, she says. “That’s what makes us so unique”.