GLASGOW, Ky. — Barren County leaders are preparing to decide how to allocate thousands of dollars in opioid abatement funding as local organizations begin pitching projects for consideration.

On Thursday, Bridge Kentucky and NET Recovery outlined proposals to magistrates for how they would use the funding if awarded, as the county begins the process of forming an opioid abatement committee to review applications.

Bridge Kentucky Executive Director Wade Copas said the nonprofit is seeking $75,000 to support services including a homeless shelter, utility assistance, and clothing and food aid.

“All we want to do is show our love and compassion to help those people to a different spot in their life,” Copas said.

Since 2022, more than 250 people have been served through the nonprofit’s shelter on North Race Street in the former office of Drs. Orlando and Leticia Bravo. Those served have included school staff, children from area school systems and elderly residents.

“We try our very best to get them expedited through our services so they can get to a better spot in their lives,” Copas said.

Copas said about 80% of those served have either returned to the community or moved on and are considered “prosperous” and tax-paying citizens.

“I am very proud of the work that we do,” he said.

Copas said he believes serving the unhoused population is a permitted use of opioid abatement funds. He was joined by board members Mallie Boston, Matt Mutter and Ricky Wooten.

Wooten, who has worked with people facing mental health crises, substance use disorder and homelessness for 20 years, said Bridge Kentucky is in need of funding.

“It’s getting to a point where it’s getting tough for us,” he said.

The organization operates on private donations, and in recent years the community has banded together weekly to provide meals at the shelter.

The nonprofit also assists people with disability applications and driver’s licenses and conducts outreach in areas with high concentrations of homelessness.

Wooten said outreach efforts often take staff “under the bridges” and into places like Gorin Park, where individuals are living in tents near the creek, including some attempting to transition out of homelessness but struggling to find support and stability.

NET Recovery also presented to magistrates, with Franklin County magistrate and mental health counselor Kelly Dycus outlining a neurostimulation-based addiction recovery device designed to ease withdrawal symptoms.

She described the NET Device as a tool attached to the back of the skull that stimulates cranial nerves to help alleviate severe withdrawal symptoms.

She said people struggling with addiction often have limited treatment options and frequently turn to medication-assisted treatments, which are drugs used to help manage addiction to other substances, with Suboxone as a common example.

“It’s still a drug. It still causes symptoms. So many people don’t want to do that.”

Dycus said many individuals remain on MATs for extended periods, sometimes up to 15 years, and added that Suboxone withdrawal can often be more severe than heroin withdrawal.

She said the device is used in recovery programs and jails and typically costs about $5,000 per treatment cycle, which lasts two to seven days, though the devices can be reused. She added that treatment requires medical oversight, which contributes to the cost.

“We’re very, very careful about how we do this. And that’s why it’s expensive.”

Magistrate Tim Coomer asked about concerns over devices being damaged in jail settings.

“We don’t see it happen,” Dycus said. “We make sure they are right for the treatment.”

Dycus said individuals experiencing mental health crises or taking certain medications may not be selected for treatment immediately.

She added she hopes costs will decrease over time but said current expenses remain high due to medical staffing and engineering requirements, though the program is expanding into states including Florida and California.

A three-year study is nearing completion, and Dycus said early results show the device is effective for about 86% of users. She noted that many people return to substance use to avoid withdrawal pain, which the device is intended to reduce.

Barren County has been offered two free treatments to evaluate the technology before considering broader use. Dycus said insurance coverage is not currently available, noting the approval and reimbursement process can take years after FDA authorization.

“There is no price to put on a life,” Dycus said.