As northern Michigan continues to struggle with an opiate epidemic – a battle that’s also raging across the rest of Michigan and the U.S. – local authorities and health providers are ramping up programs and services to help combat and treat addiction.

The State Court Administrator’s Office announced a $50,000 grant this past week to establish a new drug court in 86th District Court. The region's criminal justice system has an existing Recovery Court for drunk drivers – allowing repeat offenders to receive court-monitored treatment instead of jail time – but until now has lacked a comparable option for drug users. That will change with the new grant, which aims to reduce recidivism by getting addicts out of a cycle of incarceration and into intensive treatment.

“We’re not really getting anywhere by incarcerating people – it’s just raising our (costs),” says Traverse City Police Department Chief Jeffrey O’Brien. “How do we treat people, heal them, and provide them with support? That’s the problem everyone’s trying to look at right now. The Recovery Court has been very successful…so I think a drug court would be phenomenal.”

County commissioners still need to approve accepting funding for the program, which could be established as soon as this fall. Criminal justice officials will also need to establish the drug court’s parameters, including which types of offenders will qualify to participate. According to County Prosecuting Attorney Bob Cooney, the court would be directed at drug users and addicts – not dealers.

O’Brien says treatment and education resources such as those provided through drug court are a necessary second prong in a “two-tiered attack” on drug-related crimes, which have traditionally been combatted primarily through prosecution. Authorities still continue to crack down on heroin and opiate dealers in the Grand Traverse region, including a historic drug bust this spring that resulted in nine arrests. But while the busts resulted in a recent dip in Traverse City’s heroin crimes and overdoses, says O’Brien, that doesn’t mean the problem is going away.

“Now it’s (increasing) in our surrounding counties – Antrim, Kalkaska, Benzie,” he says. “That’s the problem with the law enforcement end of this. With enough time and money, you can push the problem out of your jurisdiction into the surrounding (area) and say it’s a success. But you haven’t solved the underlying issues. Education and treatment is the missing piece."

Several initiatives on the federal, state and local level are working to fill that gap. On Friday, President Barack Obama declared Sept. 18-24 Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week, and called on Congress to allocate $1.1 billion to expand treatment services. In Michigan, new legislation is heading this week to Governor Rick Snyder that will extend prosecution immunity to individuals seeking medical attention for a drug overdose, as well to individuals assisting someone who’s overdosing. The legislation overwhelmingly passed both the state Senate and House of Representatives and is expected to be signed into law by Snyder.

Locally a new $834,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will help Traverse City’s Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services expand outpatient treatment services to rural areas. Residents with substance abuse issues in Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau, and Manistee counties will be able to access therapists based in Traverse City for assessment and therapy through videoconferencing. Participants will be provided with tablets and access to Internet-equipped locations. Program enrollment begins in October, with grant funds available for the next three years to serve 300 individuals.

“We are excited…to increase access and service in rural areas in northern Michigan where there is little or no access to substance use disorder treatment services,” says Mark Eastburg, Ph.D., Pine Rest president and CEO. “Our hope is to also raise awareness about the disorder and its solutions.”

In Grand Traverse County - where the average number of overdose deaths has spiked from three annually in the early 2000s to 11 annually this decade - Addiction Treatment Services also continues to expand its operations. The number of clients served by the rehabilitation center has increased from 1,086 in 2013 to a projected 1,861 in 2016, with detox participants nearly doubling in three years. The organization has nine treatment-related properties in its portfolio and is working on a plan to develop a new central campus in the next three to five years. (Read more about ATS’ plans and treatment services in this week's Northern Express here.)

ATS will also host a free awareness event at the City Opera House tonight (Thursday) from 7-9pm with spoken-word performers Kinetic Affect and an opening comedy set from Falling Down Stairs Productions. The event will be followed by a procession to the Open Space for a short vigil. The program is in honor of National Recovery Month and is part of ATS’ series of “free, sober, community-based events that promote hope and reduce stigma."