Phoenix Program surpassing expectations
When the Phoenix Program began this past June in an effort to aid people struggling with a drug addiction, city leaders were unsure how many people the program could reach.
But, Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry said, if the program helped just one person overcome a drug addiction, it would be worth it.
Just a few months into the program, 10 people have already received help.
“I never dreamed we would have had 10 people in three or four months,” Curry said in late October.
The program allows anyone suffering from a drug problem to walk into the Vestavia Hills Police Department or any of the city’s five fire stations and ask for help, without fear of being arrested. The city will take them to a hospital if they need immediate medical attention and will contact a drug recovery resource center to help them obtain the help they need to overcome their addiction. While any drugs the person has on their person will be confiscated, they will not be punished or arrested.
Now, Curry and other city leaders hope the program spreads to other areas in the state.
“I think you’ll see a Phoenix Program extension in the over-the-mountain communities,” Curry said.
The effort to fight back against drug problems, especially the opioid crisis, began after the 2016 election that saw Curry, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch elected. The newly elected mayors, along with Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer, began meeting in November 2017 and formed the Freedom From Addiction Coalition, which hosts breakfasts aimed at raising awareness about the drug problem provides resources and training.
From those efforts, Curry and other leaders developed the idea of the Phoenix Program. Those receiving help have come from over-the-mountain communities, as well as from places such as Fairfield, Curry said.
While the city hasn’t had to call on them yet, five people have volunteered to help transport people seeking help to rehabilitation centers or some kind of treatment center. The city can transport someone if there is a medical emergency but cannot assume liability if the person seeking help needs to get to a treatment center.
The city is working to attack the stigma that permeates throughout Vestavia and other communities in the area.
“Nobody wants to believe it takes place here,” Curry said. “I think that’s a pretty naive look at reality.”
There is often the thought that drug problems don’t occur in wealthy cities such as Vestavia.
Jason Hardin, Vestavia’s deputy police chief, said people with money can obtain higher-priced drugs than those with less money.
“It doesn’t discriminate,” said Rachel Patterson of Bradford Health Services.
Patterson said she has enjoyed seeing different resources work together, such as the Recovery Resource Center, which provides state assessments for those suffering from addiction, and Alex Briggs, a former addict who now counsels others and helps them overcome addiction.
“It’s a unified effort by first responders and resource agencies,” Curry said.
Hardin and fire Chief Marvin Green said they trained their employees how to respond to people coming in to ask for help. Hardin said that, on the first day of training, someone came in asking for help, and actually asked a new shift of officers who had not yet been trained.
Of the 10 people who have entered the program through the city (one other person called Bradford directly), Patterson said Bradford has met them at the fire station or the person has come to their office.
Those seeking help have been men, women, young and old, and have come from various socio-economic backgrounds, Hardin said.
To receive help, visit the Police Department at City Hall at 1032 U.S. 31 or go to any of the city’s five fire stations:
► Station 1: 509 Montgomery Highway
► Station 2: 2925 Columbiana Road
► Station 3: 3201 Morgan Drive
► Station 4: 13041 Liberty Parkway
► Station 5: 3241 Cahaba Heights Road
People seeking help also can call the Recovery Resource Center at 205-458-3377 or call Bradford’s help line at 1-866-379-1864.