'WE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING'

Substance Abuse Center A First For Putnam County

HURRICANE - It's the first of its kind in Putnam County. Once the Teays
Valley Resource Center opens next week, adolescents with substance abuse
problems will have a place to go for help.

"When we found out how many adolescents in the county needed help, we
decided we needed to do something," said Pastor Gerry White of the
Lighthouse Baptist Church in Hurricane.

For six months, White and organizers from Putnam County and the state have
been working to get the agency off the ground. They began moving into
offices located at Hurricane's old City Hall this week.

By Monday, the Resource Center will be open for business.

"We'll be the triage center for Putnam County," White said. "We're going to
be working with the judicial system, with River Park Hospital in Huntington
for detox, with Prestera, with the Sheriff's Department and county and
state police."

Adolescents and their families can go to the state-certified center for
information, counseling or to take part in a 16-week therapy session
together, White said. If other help is needed, clients will be referred
accordingly.

"This will be the first place for outpatient care in the county," he said.
The idea for the center came about when White was approached by a family in
his congregation.

Their son was arrested for substance abuse, and they came to him for help.
When he found that there weren't many outlets in the county for such
problems, White and other community members decided to take charge.

After meetings with members of the Sheriff's Department, the county's
juvenile probation office and other agencies that work with troubled
adolescents, everyone came to the conclusion that Putnam County needed its
own counseling and rehab center.

In addition to the help of county groups, White solicited the help of other
pastors from various denominations in the county. They volunteered their
time to the center and will be trained in counseling.

Clinical psychologist David Wilcox will also serve as director of the
Resource Center and will work with clients.

Wilcox described the Teays Valley program as one similar to 12-step
programs but with a Christian twist. The program is also different in that
it targets both individuals and families.

"We want to treat drug and alcohol addictions from a faith-based
perspective," Wilcox said. "And we want to reach out to families because
addictions aren't just individual disorders.

"We can help change how families interact, how they respond to one another
and what's important for adolescents to get over their addiction."

Wilcox realizes some may be wary of the religious side of the center. "It
[religion] is not a requirement but we want parents and children to know
it's our philosophical framework."

Though he deals with adolescents once they're already in trouble, Putnam
juvenile probation officer Joe Tyree said he's excited for what the
Resource Center might prevent.

"It's a wonderful idea and a wonderful concept," Tyree said. "Now we'll
have a place to immediately refer children and parents."

Every county or region needs some type of resource center, Tyree said. "We
can't wait for kids to get in trouble for them to get help."

For more information about the Teays Valley Resource Center, call 562-0093
or the Lighthouse Baptist Church at 562-3900.