Gov. Andy Beshear says overdose deaths among Black Kentuckians have decreased significantly

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Overdose deaths in Kentucky have decreased significantly, especially among Black Kentuckians, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.

Data shows overall overdose deaths in the state have decreased by 30%. In the African American community, there was a 37% decline.

Tyler Smith is a client care specialist at Reclaim Recovery Louisville. Before he worked there, he went through the program as an addict.

"It'll be to the point where you don't even care anymore and you will go poor, you will go homeless in a blink of an eye before you even realize it," Smith said, adding that resources are what helped him most.

Whether that be people just listening to him or having access to Narcan, he believes these resources are part of the state's decline in overdose deaths.

"When you see a room full of alcoholics and addicts coming together, trying to change their life around, that right there is the game-changer," he said. "That's how, you know, change can happen."

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Another big resource is the Louisville Recovery Center. It provides everything from substance use education to relapse prevention plans.

"Substance use resources are very widespread now," said Lindsey McCutcheon, a business development representative at the Louisville Recovery Center. "The community is realizing it's a real problem and we can't keep our head in the sand anymore."

For Smith, he credits these resources for saving his life. Now, he's paying it forward.

"That means the world to me, that I'm actually helping not just myself, but I'm actually helping others that's like me," he said.

For more information on Louisville Recovery Center, click here. The facility is located on Williamson Court, just outside Anchorage. To learn more about Reclaim Recovery, click here. Their center is located on South 4th Street, near Winkler and Montana avenues in south Louisville.

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