KOSCIUSKO — After the non-renewal of a federal grant, the Kosciusko County Drug Court was left without funds to provide users with their current services. The Kosciusko County Community Corrections voted to absorb the program during a special meeting held Monday, Sept. 18.

Judge Micheal Reed led the discussion by expressing the dire need for Drug Court in the county. “We are in an opioid epidemic and Kosciusko County is not immune,” said Reed. “I think it’s a good program, I think we need it.”

During the first six months of the year, there have been 182 Narcan uses by EMTs and 18 overdose deaths in the county. Drug Court provides around a 2/3 success rate for users to recover from substance abuse.

Currently, Community Corrections has a project income balance of $324,131. This balance would be more than sufficient to fund Drug Court. The Drug Court program runs around $70,000 a year. The program would continue to run exactly as it does now and would not take away any services from Community Corrections users.

All board members present voted to approve taking control of the Drug Court program as soon as possible. The board also approved hiring an officer to fill the drug court position.

Anna Bailey, director of Community Corrections, needs to have the Indiana Department of Corrections approve the adjusted budgets before the combining can take place. Until that time, the Drug Court has had approval to use its own user fees, around $60,000, to keep the program running.

Bailey then brought up a worrisome issue. Once the new officer joins the program, there will not be enough office space for the previously approved part-time employee.

“We are outgrowing ourselves at a rate we can’t keep up with,” explained Bailey.

Currently, there are 88 active adults and 7 active juveniles in the program. It’s expected that the program will reach 100 total users by the end of the week.

Running out of space isn’t an issue felt by only Community Corrections. In previous months, the jail has also been at full compacity. It was hinted at that time the county was looking to buy properties adjacent to the current Justice Building in order to expand.

In the meantime, Prosecutor Dan Hampton provided Bailey with a few empty office locations within the building to consider. The board agreed that while feasible, it would be best to remain inside the same building as the jail and courtrooms to keep communication between departments smooth. This also helps users be able to schedule appointments easier and causes less confusion.

In other news:

• There have been 67 successful users.
• Ryan Andrew was introduced as the new Home Detention/Forensic Diversion officer.
• The next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 9.