A $2 million state grant is supporting efforts to create a new drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Columbia Gorge

Derek Greenwood is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia Gorge Community College and a certified drug and alcohol counselor. As someone with lived experience, he appreciates having a safe place to socialize while recovering from drug addiction as a young adult. But finding safe, sober spaces to socialize with other people in recovery can be challenging, especially in rural communities.

This challenge motivated Greenwood and others to launch an effort to help people in the Columbia Gorge recover from drugs and alcohol. As first reported in the Oregon Capital Chronicle, the Gorge Recovery Center received a $2 million grant from the state's opioid arbitration fund this summer. The center, which does not yet have a physical location, is expected to open sometime next year. A range of services are offered seven days a week, from peer support mentors to recreational opportunities and classes on parenting, financial literacy and other life skills. 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, join us to talk about their plans and the challenges of navigating recovery in a rural community .

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