‘Significant loss.’ Eastern KY drug recovery center faces long rebuild after flooding

The process to rebuild a men’s drug addiction recovery center in the tiny, eastern Kentucky town of Neon will take “weeks, if not months,” according to Matt Brown of Addiction Recovery Care.

“It was basically a hub for their treatment and recovery,” Brown said of Spring Hill, a center for men in Letcher County that offered counseling services, peer support, job training and other services.

Photographs of the flood-strewn wreckage show caved in walls and ceilings at the recovery center, and dirt and debris everywhere. Brown said the water rose as high as 7 feet in the center.

Program participants and staff are piecing their lives back together, Brown said.

About 15 ARC staffers have “lost everything they had” to the floods, he said, adding that others have endured “significant loss.”

That includes lost family members for some staffers, Brown told the Herald-Leader Tuesday.

Spanning 22 Kentucky counties, the ARC network works with some 2,000 patients. Amid last week’s floods, two of its facilities were affected.

At its Creekside location, in hard-hit Knott County, there was no damage, but 97 women in treatment there had to be moved and evacuated, Brown said.

At Spring Hill, 25 men have been displaced.

Now, ARC officials are working with the landlord at the center in Spring Hill to begin the rebuilding process, even as they work to secure help for employees touched by the flood damage.

Brown said there’s been talk of purchasing industrial-grade dehumidifiers to dry out the Spring Hill center.

Amid the chaos, ARC has been able to continue the medically assisted recovery many of its patients depend on. Some rely on suboxone as part of their treatment, which can produce similar withdrawal effects to opioids if suspended cold turkey.

“We were able to continue everyone’s treatment without missing a beat,” Brown said.

Ways to help

Brown shared an Amazon wishlist he’s using to collect supplies for ARC. Items donated will come straight to ARC’s headquarters and be delivered to those who need it, Brown said.

Other organizations are also raising money for ARC, including DV8 Kitchen locations in Lexington. According to its website, DV8 Kitchen was developed and operates as a second chance employment opportunity for people trying to break the cycle of addiction and substance abuse.

Starting Wednesday, DV8 will be selling the “Appalachian Hot Brown” for $11. Proceeds will go to ARC Spring Hill Center, with the goal of raising $1,800.

Brown said organization RISEabove is also raising money for the relief effort.

Do you have a question about recovery in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.

This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.

Aaron Mudd

Lexington Herald-Leader

Aaron Mudd was a service journalism reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader, Centre Daily Times and Belleville News-Democrat. He was based at the Herald-Leader in Lexington, and left the paper in February 2026. Support my work with a digital subscription