Each week, employees of The Keene Serenity Center provide about 80 rides to people who are in recovery from substance-use disorder through its Road to Recovery transportation program.
Recently, these journeys have included taking someone to Boston for eye surgery, delivering groceries to a person who has health challenges, and helping someone who hasn’t held down a job for 10 years get to work each day, said Sam Lake, the Serenity Center’s executive director.
To stay in recovery requires a lot of support, and “the transportation program is really a master for that,” he said.
Demand for the Serenity Center’s transportation program has been growing over the past few years, and it’s currently at maximum capacity. Lake would like to expand it, but said the nonprofit has “a big hole for funding for that.”
Now, a $20,000 grant from Cheshire County will buoy the program. The money is part of opioid settlement funds being distributed throughout New Hampshire after state, county and local governments sued opioid manufacturers, whose prescription and marketing tactics contributed to widespread opioid-use disorder in the state. New Hampshire has been one of the states hit hardest by the opioid epidemic, with 416 confirmed opioid-related deaths in both 2020 and 2021.
Have more mobility news that we should be reading and sharing? Let us know! Reach out to Sage Kashner (kashner@ctaa.org).
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