Derek Greenwood is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia Gorge Community College, an emergency department nurse who works in Goldendale and a certified drug and alcohol counselor. As someone with lived experience, he credits having a safe space he could go to socialize when he was recovering from drug addiction as a young adult. But finding safe, sober spaces to form those connections with other people in recovery can be a challenge, especially in rural communities.
That challenge motivated Greenwood and others to launch an effort to help people recovering from drugs and alcohol in the Columbia Gorge. As first reported in the Oregon Capital Chronicle, the Gorge Recovery Center received a $2 million grant this summer from the state’s opioid settlement funds. The center, which does not yet have a physical location, is expected to open sometime next year in The Dalles, with a possible expansion to Hood River. It will offer an array of services seven days a week, from peer support mentors to recreational opportunities and classes on parenting, financial literacy and other life skills. Joining us to talk about their plans and the challenges of navigating recovery in a rural community are Gorge Recovery Center board president Derek Greenwood and fellow board member Katrina Mace, who also works as a drug and alcohol counselor at Mid-Columbia Center for Living.
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