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By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
Tribune Managing Editor
FORT ASHBY – As a school nurse at three schools in the Frankfort District, Tammy Hansford can see a very clear need for drug and alcohol rehabilitation services for adolescents.
Noting that there is a normal waiting period of about six weeks at the nearest facility across the Potomac, Hansford said she wants to be able to establish a facility where she can provide treatment in a residential setting on a more timely basis for the youths of Mineral County.
“Once somebody decides they want help, you have to get them help,” she said.
The new facility would offer a variety of services for those adolescents up to age 18 who have fallen victim to addiction.
“We'd probably detox them on the premises, then they'd stay for treatment for a minimum of four months. Each patient would have an individualized treatment plan based on his or her need,” she said.
Although plans for similar treatment facilities in the area have been slow in materializing, Hansford is well on her way. She, along with her husband Terry and son Matthew, has already formed a non-profit corporation, Appalachian Mountain of Hope, and they have developed a business plan. They have a board of directors which includes Dana Ferguson, Sheila Joy, Cindy Pyles, and Shannon Williams.
They even have a piece of property in the Fort Ashby area in mind for the facility – they just have to find the funding to purchase the property and renovate it to accommodate the patients.
Hansford says the piece of property she has in mind, which includes approximately 30 acres of land and a house, will be easy to transform into a residential facility offering room for 30 beds and a 24-hour nursing staff. The house will also have space for counseling and other activities to help the young people cope with the difficult task of turning from a life of slavery to addition.
“We'll talk to them and pull from them what they're interested in and use that to help them turn to a life without drugs,” she explains.
She wants the house to have a “homey” atmosphere, and says she can think of no better location for a facility geared toward helping teens go through such a difficult and life-altering experience.
“When you look out each window, all you see is mountains. It's beautiful,” she said.
The property also offers the opportunity for expansion, and one of the first additions on Hansford's list is the establishment of another much-needed facility in Mineral County – a “no kill” shelter for animals.
Hansford has a reason for picking that addition - the clients staying at the facility could work with the animals and train them to become more adoptable as part of their therapy.
“I'd like to eventually train some of the dogs enough that we could send them to train as special needs dogs,” she said.
The group is currently looking for some grant money to help them purchase the property. In the meantime, they are holding a series of fund raisers to help them secure some start-up money.
“If we could get some grant money or a substantial donation, I could get this place and get started,” she said, noting that she would “like to be open in a year's time.”
She encourages anyone wishing to help with the facility to call her at 304-726-7137.
In the meantime, the group is holding a spaghetti dinner Saturday, April 9, from 4-7 p.m. at Fort Ashby Primary School. Other fund raisers are being scheduled at later dates.
She hopes the community will support the endeavor.
“Everybody in some way or another has been touched by drug addition,” she said.
“We need to do everything we can.”
By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
Tribune Managing Editor
FORT ASHBY – As a school nurse at three schools in the Frankfort District, Tammy Hansford can see a very clear need for drug and alcohol rehabilitation services for adolescents.
Noting that there is a normal waiting period of about six weeks at the nearest facility across the Potomac, Hansford said she wants to be able to establish a facility where she can provide treatment in a residential setting on a more timely basis for the youths of Mineral County.
“Once somebody decides they want help, you have to get them help,” she said.
The new facility would offer a variety of services for those adolescents up to age 18 who have fallen victim to addiction.
“We'd probably detox them on the premises, then they'd stay for treatment for a minimum of four months. Each patient would have an individualized treatment plan based on his or her need,” she said.
Although plans for similar treatment facilities in the area have been slow in materializing, Hansford is well on her way. She, along with her husband Terry and son Matthew, has already formed a non-profit corporation, Appalachian Mountain of Hope, and they have developed a business plan. They have a board of directors which includes Dana Ferguson, Sheila Joy, Cindy Pyles, and Shannon Williams.
They even have a piece of property in the Fort Ashby area in mind for the facility – they just have to find the funding to purchase the property and renovate it to accommodate the patients.
Hansford says the piece of property she has in mind, which includes approximately 30 acres of land and a house, will be easy to transform into a residential facility offering room for 30 beds and a 24-hour nursing staff. The house will also have space for counseling and other activities to help the young people cope with the difficult task of turning from a life of slavery to addition.
“We'll talk to them and pull from them what they're interested in and use that to help them turn to a life without drugs,” she explains.
She wants the house to have a “homey” atmosphere, and says she can think of no better location for a facility geared toward helping teens go through such a difficult and life-altering experience.
“When you look out each window, all you see is mountains. It's beautiful,” she said.
The property also offers the opportunity for expansion, and one of the first additions on Hansford's list is the establishment of another much-needed facility in Mineral County – a “no kill” shelter for animals.
Hansford has a reason for picking that addition - the clients staying at the facility could work with the animals and train them to become more adoptable as part of their therapy.
“I'd like to eventually train some of the dogs enough that we could send them to train as special needs dogs,” she said.
The group is currently looking for some grant money to help them purchase the property. In the meantime, they are holding a series of fund raisers to help them secure some start-up money.
“If we could get some grant money or a substantial donation, I could get this place and get started,” she said, noting that she would “like to be open in a year's time.”
She encourages anyone wishing to help with the facility to call her at 304-726-7137.
In the meantime, the group is holding a spaghetti dinner Saturday, April 9, from 4-7 p.m. at Fort Ashby Primary School. Other fund raisers are being scheduled at later dates.
She hopes the community will support the endeavor.
“Everybody in some way or another has been touched by drug addition,” she said.
“We need to do everything we can.”
