An annual event in Southern Indiana aimed at providing education, resources and connections around substance use will kick off in just a few weeks.
Clark County CARES’ Drug Facts Week runs Monday, Jan. 20 through Sunday, Jan. 26.
It will include discussions on trends county officials and community leaders are seeing, resources for treatment and proactive steps from law enforcement. There will also be time to remember loved ones lost to addiction, and to celebrate successes.
Judge Brad Jacobs is a member of the group. His court docket also has most of the county’s drug cases.
“It may not be you, it may not be your best friend, but your best friend's family member is hurting, and it's affecting their life,” he said.
The community group has been around for a decade; it formed in response to a rise in opioid use and deaths in the area. It includes health care professionals, members of the recovery community, law enforcement and other residents.
Drug Facts Week came along soon after the group started. Jacobs said it’s a focused week on the mission Clark County CARES carries throughout the year.
“We're educating people about the problem with substance use disorder and some of the solutions,” he said, of the annual event. “And we're also putting people together who may not have known each other.”
That could mean connecting community partners to strengthen resources. It can also mean supporting people as they navigate the impacts of addiction on their lives, or the lives of people they love.
He said he sees at least one parent new to the event each year. They may have lost a child to addiction. Often they’re looking for answers.
“Usually, if they're coming to this it's because they have a child who's still in active addiction, and they're just looking for some help,” he said. “We explain to them what they can do. They make some connections.”
Monday’s kickoff panel will cover trends in the community, what police and health care professionals are doing to provide support and options for recovery.
Tuesday will focus, in part, on getting more people into recovery through the Integrated Reentry and Correctional Support program, Jacobs said.
Wednesday’s business luncheon centers on substance use and economic development — with a focus on educating employers on the benefit of hiring people with felonies.
“Stability is always going to be one of the keys to recovery or any kind of staying healthy whatsoever,” Jacobs said. “...If you are in recovery and you can’t find a place to live, then your chances of staying sober are going to drop drastically.”
Thursday will be the keynote address, with a lip sync battle Friday hosted by Thrive RCO. Saturday is family day, and Sunday, people will gather at the foot of the Big Four Bridge in Jeffersonville for a candlelight vigil.
Most events are free, but some have an entry fee.
Clark County CARES Drug Facts Week 2025 schedule:
Monday, Jan. 20 — Kickoff panel, 6 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 321 E. Market Street, Jeffersonville
Tuesday, Jan. 21 — Law and order discussion, 6 p.m. Jeffersonville Police Department headquarters, 2218 E. 10th Street, Jeffersonville
Wednesday, Jan. 22 — Business luncheon, 11:30 a.m. Mark Fetter Center, 1613 E. 10th Street, Jeffersonville
Thursday, Jan. 23 — Keynote speaker to be announced, 6 p.m., Norton Clark Hospital, 1220 Missouri Ave., Jeffersonville
Friday, Jan. 24 — Lip sync battle hosted by Thrive RCO, 6 p.m. Ivy Tech Community College, 8204 Hwy. 311, Sellersburg
Saturday, Jan. 25 — Family day, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., SpringHill Envision Center, 1423 Bates-Bowyer Ave., Jeffersonville
Sunday, Jan. 26 — Candlelight vigil, start gathering around 5:30 p.m., at the base of the Big Four Bridge in Jeffersonville
Clark County CARES Facebook page will be updated with more details as Drug Facts Week gets closer.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
