KENTWOOD, Mich. — Kentwood City Commission approved $35,000 in funding from the Purdue Pharma opioid settlement to support counseling services at the 62-B District Court, a move aimed at helping people struggling with addiction as they transition out of jail.
Judge Amanda Sterkenburg has witnessed firsthand the challenges facing people with opioid addiction who come through her courtroom. The funding will help address a critical gap in services during one of the most vulnerable periods for those in recovery.
"If you, especially have just come out of jail, you may not have everything in place. You're looking for a job, it's very stressful," Sterkenburg said. "If you were a drug user who then was incarcerated for a while, your tolerance is down."
The reduced tolerance can create deadly risks for people returning to the community.
"If you use at the same level that you used before you went in, you have a greater risk of fatality." Sterkenburg said.
The judge has been advocating for months to secure these settlement funds for the court's programs.
"We've been working towards putting together a way that we could utilize these Opioid funds to really benefit our probationers." Sterkenburg said.
The approved funding will enhance the court's counseling services, providing immediate access to therapy for people who need it most.
"One of the most important resources, is someone that they can connect to for therapy, so that they are able to maintain sobriety in the most difficult and challenging time," Sterkenburg said.
The program aims to speed up access to critical services that might otherwise take weeks to arrange through insurance or referral networks.
"In these instances, we get to intervene early with services that otherwise do. Sometimes take time to set up through insurance or through a referral network." Sterkenburg said.
The judge emphasized the importance of early intervention for people facing lower-level charges who typically receive probation sentences.
"We're dealing with lower level offenses where we're often looking at a probation sentence. If you can change a person's conduct here, it might prevent them from getting up into one, a more dangerous situation in their life." Sterkenburg said.
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