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By: Sue Loughlin
As someone who once battled drug addiction and has been sober for more than a decade, Molly Collett can empathize with those in the criminal justice system who deal with substance use disorder and need support in their own recovery efforts. Now, in her role as supervisor of the Vigo County Health Department's social services division, she facilitates programs being used in the Vigo County Jail to help those with addiction issues. The goal is to work with inmates, including those transitioning back into the community, and “be the support system they haven't had before so they don't re-enter the justice system,” Collett said in an interview late last year. The local health department's social services division was created in 2024 through the state's Health First Indiana funding. It includes two certified peer recovery coaches, Shonna Frye and Larry Aynes. For 2025, the social services division has added an intake coordinator, Tiffany Fagg, to focus solely on the needs of the incarcerated population re-entry process. In 2024, Vigo County was one of 86 counties in Indiana benefiting from the new state Health First Indiana initiative approved by the Indiana Legislature in 2023. The Legislature provided $75 million for 2024 and $150 million in 2025. This year, all 92 counties have opted into the program. In 2024, Vigo received $1.28 million, a significant increase in state funding, and in 2025 the amount will be double that. A 20% local match is required in 2025. While Health First Indiana outlines core services that must be covered, health departments working with partners are able to determine community priorities. Much of the Vigo County Health Department's HFI funding has been dedicated to mental health and addiction, with a three-pronged approach. • A new social services division within the health department that provides programming and peer coach counseling for those in the Vigo County Jail dealing with substance use disorder. The goal is behavior modification to prevent them from returning to jail, once they are out. • Chances and Services for Youth (CASY) now offers counseling services that include working with Vigo County School Corp. children, the community and Family Court. For 2025, CASY Counseling will continue to expand services as it gains staff, said Brandon Halleck, CASY chief operating officer. “We intend to expand on the schools we're serving, counseling, life skills, and parenting classes/ supervised visitations,” Halleck said. • A third component involves a contract with Vigo County courts, which led to the hiring of three social workers to work with individuals who suffer from mental health and addictions issues and to connect them to services and resources. In Vigo County, the consensus was that “the most crucial health issue of our community is mental health and addiction,” said Joni Wise, health department administrator. Several years ago, mental health and addictions were not considered part of the public health domain, but that has changed. “Over the years, the trend has been to put mental health and addiction under that big umbrella called public health,” Wise said. “So now it's part of public health, the population-based strategies so people can live healthier and longer lives.” Wise believes the program could potentially be transformative. “With any type of change, it takes awhile to see it work,” she said. “It's not going to be a miracle thing in one year or two years or three years.” Continued funding for Health First Indiana will be part of discussions as the Indiana General Assembly considers the next biennial budget. Helping people get their life back According to Collett, who oversees the health department's social services division and jail programs, many of the inmates have dealt with childhood trauma of some sort, and they have to learn how to navigate that and move forward. One program for inmates includes moral reconation therapy, which promotes moral reasoning, better decision-making and behavior improvement. The division teaches other classes related to coping skills, healthy relationships, trauma and stress resilience, managing emotions, the power of self talk and maintaining their recovery. In addition, peer recovery coaches, who are in long-term recovery themselves, “are able to walk alongside these individuals and say, OK, I've been through what you are going through … I'm here to help you get to the other side of this,” Collett said. They work with inmates on a personal change plan and on how to maintain their recovery once they are released from jail. The social services division programs are voluntary for inmates. Collett said she's driven by her goal “to help people get the ones they love back and to help people get their life back.” She wants to see those dealing with drug addiction get back the life they were supposed to live, “not the one they ended up living as a result of all the things that happened to them and all the circumstances that surrounded them their whole life,” Collett said. She said that 128 people have graduated from the moral reconation therapy program, and currently, another 113 are participating in the MRT program. Also, 41 individuals are receiving peer coaching; the division continues to work with 10 individuals released from jail; and 77 individuals are in The Change program, which involves interactive journaling. Vigo County Sheriff Derek Fell believes it is “absolutely vital these funds (Health First Indiana) remain available to us, the health department, to Vigo County, and I am 100% in support of these programs.” He believes the program has had success in its early stages, although it may take a few years to see the full impact. The goals of the program are to “do what we can to help people who are brought into our jail,” limit recidivism and reduce jail overcrowding, Fell said. “I believe it's our responsibility to at least evaluate and attempt whatever programs we can that are reasonable and financially sound,” Fell said. He also said, “I believe there is definitely a mental health and addiction problem in our community, and I think it's important we not only recognize that, but do what we can when people are incarcerated to address those issues and … help offenders re-enter society.” CASY Counseling McKenzie Diekhoff, a life skills specialist with CASY Counseling, recently worked with a group of fourth-grade students on self control and a second-grade group on empathy and feelings. One day in late October, she started with an ice breaker activity with the fourth-graders and used a feelings/emotions chart to see how everyone was doing. Later, they talked about good and bad behavioral choices and possible consequences. The goal of the sessions was to give the students strategies to decrease negative behaviors in and out of school and to make better choices with their behavior. Strategies might include deep breathing, taking breaks, talking to an adult or using sensory toys. Diekhoff's work with CASY Counseling is made possible through HFI funding. That funding allowed Chances and Services for Youth to start CASY Counseling, which works with the school district, community and Family Court in Superior Court Div. 2. HFI's focus on mental health and addictions recovery “is really a shift with health department funding,” said Jennifer Todd, CASY Counseling therapist and clinical supervisor. Years ago, public health dollars would not have funded such programs. According to Brandon Halleck, CASY chief operating officer, “We are finally seeing almost like a holistic approach to the individual” and child well-being. CASY Counseling has two full-time and one part-time therapist and two life skills service specialists. “We anticipate adding another full-time therapist this year,” Todd said. “Schools sometimes have a child in need, and for whatever reason, there is a gap in funding. But they want the child seen at school. We're doing some of that work,” Todd said. The program also does some life skills work with adults who need referral to community resources. In addition, several staff have been trained in the Strengthening Families program, which is for 10- to 14-year-olds and their families. It is a family skills training program that aims to reduce risk factors for problem behaviors in young adolescents. It's an early intervention/prevention program, Halleck said. “We work with families before there is a breakdown.” Judicial system social workers Vigo Superior Court Div. 3 Judge Sarah Mullican says Health First Indiana has provided the judicial system with funding that is making a difference. Three social workers serve as case managers, connecting individuals who have pending court cases to mental health and substance abuse treatment. The social workers are under the direction of Virgil Macke, the court system's mental health coordinator. They worked with 160 individuals this past year, including 70 referrals for substance use treatment and 60 referrals for mental health, Mullican said earlier this month. The case managers may receive referrals from the courts or act on requests by an attorney or the prosecutor. The social workers go to the jail and meet with individuals to connect them to services, including helping them get placed into sober living or other supportive housing. They work with those who lack documentation, including the homeless, and help them secure the necessary IDs or social security cards that are necessary for housing or treatment. The case managers work in cooperation with the health department's peer recovery coaches. “They are trying to remove barriers,” Mullican said. Mullican said HFI is “absolutely” an important investment of funds that should continue. “It is a great investment, long term, in our public health, with a focus on prevention,” she said. “It can improve the overall health of Vigo County as well as the state,” she said. And better health outcomes could ultimately help the state save money in Medicaid costs, state officials say. React to this story: (0 Ratings)
