GLASGOW, Ky. — For years, Dont’e Paul prayed for an opportunity to bring addiction recovery services closer to home.

This year, that prayer is becoming a reality.

Paul and his wife, Whitney, are preparing to open Bethesda Wellness and Recovery, what they say will be the first men's residential addiction recovery center of its kind in Barren County.

The opportunity came together through what the couple describe as “a God thing.”

A former adolescent girls home on Roseville Road became available. Community connections fell into place. Years of experience in addiction recovery aligned with a long-held vision. What emerged was Bethesda, a ministry-driven recovery center designed to help men rebuild their lives without leaving the region they call home.

But the vision began long before there was a building.

The Pauls have spent the past 15 years serving others through Christian ministry.

Dont’e Paul serves as pastor of Stoney Point Baptist Church in Smiths Grove and entered the addiction recovery field in 2014 as a case manager at Andreas Mission for Men in Butler County.

His work eventually led him to help launch Kentucky Christian Recovery in Morgantown. Over the years, he has helped start or develop at least four addiction treatment centers across the region.

“I've spent better than a decade helping people all over the state and all over the counties being put into treatment,” he said. “I like being the guy behind the scenes, being a resource for families.”

Along the way, Paul became a certified alcohol and drug counselor and is currently pursuing a master's degree to become a licensed professional clinical counselor.

His interest in addiction recovery, however, began much earlier.

Growing up, he watched his grandfather struggle with alcoholism.

“As a kid you don't really understand what the disease of alcohol actually is,” he said. “You just see the after effects of it.”

Years later, while studying at the University of the Cumberlands, Paul was introduced to substance abuse education and began to see a path forward.

“As far as the idea of long-term treatment, especially in a rural community, wasn't necessarily something on the forefront of people's minds,” he said.

By 2017, he had become convinced that Barren County needed the same type of long-term recovery services available elsewhere.

Whitney Paul said she has watched that vision steadily take shape over the years.

“I can tell that he is walking in his purpose, and this is what he's supposed to do,” she said. “It's really exciting to see that the community is so welcoming and so excited about the opportunity to have a facility like this in Barren County.”

The center's name is rooted in Scripture.

Bethesda Wellness and Recovery takes its name from the Pool of Bethesda in John 5, where Jesus heals a man who had been unable to walk for decades. Paul said the story has always resonated with him, particularly the moment when the man explains that he has no one to help him into the water.

“Who does not like the idea of being whole?” Paul said. “When I think about people who suffer with addiction and they burn bridges and destroy families, I think that life has been difficult for them to deal with and substance abuse was the way that they dealt with those issues.”

The story helped shape his desire to become someone others could lean on during recovery.

“We're helping men rise out of addiction, walk into sobriety, and live out into purpose,” Paul said.

That mission comes at a time when addiction continues to affect communities across Kentucky.

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While overdose deaths in Kentucky have declined for three consecutive years, the addiction crisis continues to touch communities across the commonwealth.

In 2024, 1,410 Kentuckians died from drug overdoses, with fentanyl involved in nearly two-thirds of those deaths and methamphetamine present in more than half. Barren County recorded nine overdose deaths in 2024 and 11 the year before, highlighting the ongoing need for recovery services in rural communities.

Paul believes recovery requires more than simply helping someone stop using drugs or alcohol.

“There's also the spiritual part where people are looking for a sense of purpose and a sense of meaning,” Paul said. “Sometimes substances fill the gaps in those areas when those areas are missing key components.”

He said addiction is often rooted in a combination of biological, psychological and spiritual factors. Some people may be genetically predisposed to addiction, while others develop substance use disorders because of trauma, environment or life experiences. For others, addiction grows out of a search for connection, belonging or purpose.

One of the biggest challenges in recovery, Paul said, is that treatment programs sometimes address only one piece of the problem.

Bethesda plans to take a holistic approach, providing treatment that addresses the biological, psychological and spiritual dimensions of recovery while allowing residents to live on-site throughout the process.

“This is professional, but this is also ministry,” Paul said. “It's addressing the spiritual, it's addressing the mental, the physical, overall emotional wellness.”

The center will operate through a phased model. During the first 30 to 60 days, participants will focus on clinical treatment, counseling and understanding the foundations of addiction.

“We're doing some of the nitty gritty work as far as looking at the foundations of addiction, understanding trauma, and really spending the first 30 to 60 days doing that along with coupling that with community integration,” he said.

As residents progress, they will earn additional responsibilities and freedoms. Some may become eligible for home visits, work opportunities and expanded communication with family members.

The second phase will focus on transitioning back into everyday life, including employment and family relationships. The final phase will emphasize aftercare and mentorship.

A major component of the program is workforce development.

After the initial treatment phase, Bethesda plans to help residents earn certifications and receive job training.

“That will help launch them back into the community and be able to benefit from being a contributing member of society,” Paul said.

A similar model is used by the Phoenix Project in Cave City, though it is not faith-based. The facility opened in 2022 as Barren County’s first recovery center.

The approach is designed to address barriers that often undermine long-term recovery, particularly in rural communities.

“What happens when you have an individual who needs therapeutic services but they don't have transportation? Some of those needs are easier met in larger places but in rural communities, that creates more barriers.”

“I think that piece of the program is going to be valuable and will set us apart from other recovery centers,” he said.

Community Partners for Recovery in Glasgow has become one of Bethesda's key collaborators. Paul said he reconnected with the Bethesda property's former owner through a recovery meeting, helping set the project in motion.

“We talked about what I wanted to do, and the rest has been history,” he said. “He's definitely been a God send.”

The program will be funded through a variety of sources, including Medicaid reimbursements. Paul said Bethesda is awaiting final credentialing before opening its doors.

“Our hope is that we're able to take people in by the end of June, sometime in July,” he said.

The organization is also a licensed Alcohol and Other Drug Entity provider, allowing it to offer substance use treatment services and receive reimbursement for eligible care.

In addition, the center has received approval from the Kentucky Department of Corrections, allowing participants involved in the criminal justice system to earn credit toward their sentences while completing treatment programs.

When fully operational, Bethesda will have capacity for 18 men.

“We want to maintain the small, close-knit individualized environment,” Paul said.

For the Paul family, the project is about more than recovery services. It is about investing in the community they call home.

“What better place to have a positive impact than the place I raise my family?” Paul said. “I don't want to just take from my community, I want to be a part of it.”

The long-term vision extends beyond the men's facility. Eventually, the Pauls hope to create a separate campus for women seeking recovery services.

“I do recognize the need for women,” he said. “Maybe in years to come that might be something that we look to.”

For now, Bethesda's intake line remains active for individuals and families seeking information about treatment and recovery resources.

The work can be demanding, Paul said, but the mission continues to drive him.

“You deal with the highs and lows,” Paul said. “But I think the thing that has kept me driven over the years is the hope and the call of seeing families restored and lives changed, and being able to spread hope to people that are in a season in their life that hope's gone.”

For more information, contact Bethesda Wellness and Recovery at bethesda.wr@gmail.com or 270-678-4357. The facility is located at 3767 Roseville Rd. in Glasgow.

For those seeking help, treatment and recovery resources are available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at findtreatment.gov.