Citing the importance of a drug-free population to sustainable economic growth, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has agreed to serve as Operation UNITE’s educational partner for the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit next spring. The Summit will take place April 10-12 in Florida, the heart of a prescription pill pipeline responsible for bringing approximately 60 percent of diverted drugs into the Central Appalachian region. The event will convene public and...

Methamphetamine abuse is exploding across rural America now that cooks with the right elements can set up shop virtually anywhere, and in Kentucky, meth labs have nearly tripled in the past three years. ABC Nightline National Correspondant Chris Bury and Producer Melia Patria went undercover with Operation UNITE and local law enforcement agencies in April 2011 examining the problems posed by pseudoephedrine – the only ingredient that must be used to produce...

PRESTONSBURG – More than 125 professionals from across the region participated in an educational forum on addiction-related issues Saturday, November 12. The “Kentucky Medical Communities UNITED” program, hosted by Operation UNITE’s Medical Advisory Council at Allen Baptist Church, was the first of four state-wide forums to be offered through an Appalachian Regional Commission grant and in partnership with Pikeville Medical Center. To view photos from the...

SOMERSET – A new Highlander Hybrid was presented to Operation UNITE by Toyota of Somerset Wednesday, November 9, as part of the Toyota 100 Cars for Good program. The 2012 Highlander – which has a suggested retail value of $47,517 – will be used by UNITE to fulfill transportation needs associated with its youth and treatment initiatives. To view photos from presentation click here In addition, UNITE was presented a Platinum Plan Extra Care Vehicle Service...

Nearly three dozen schools in Eastern Kentucky will be served by AmeriCorps members during the 2011-12 term through UNITE’s Service Corps initiative. This is the fourth year Operation UNITE has received funding for the initiative through a grant awarded by Corporation for National and Community Service. The UNITE Service Corps program provides math tutoring, teaches the “Too Good for Drugs” and “Take 10” wellness curriculums, and coordinates anti-drug...

LONDON – Dangers posed by methamphetamine are not limited to those who make or use the highly addictive drug, and that should concern everyone, a panel of professionals agreed during a forum unveiling a new statewide educational campaign September 13. “We’re all paying the price,” said Jackie Steele, commonwealth’s attorney for Laurel and Knox counties, who organized the educational forum at the London Community Center. With the number of methamphetamine...

BENHAM – Future generations are less likely to be caught up in the region’s drug epidemic because of the seeds Operation UNITE has planted, said Dr. W. Bruce Ayers, president of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. “I am convinced the young people that are coming up aren’t going to be lost to us,” Ayers told UNITE staff members during a meeting held at the Benham Schoolhouse Inn August 26. While acknowledging that substance abuse problems...