IRAC Recovery Program Seeks $50,000 from Blackford County Opioid Settlement Funds

From the Blackford County Council meeting on July 8, 2026

Representatives from PAST Recovery Services presented the IRAC jail-based recovery program's outcomes and requested $50,000 from opioid settlement funds for the 2027 budget.

Kimber Reynolds, Executive Director of PAST Recovery Services, and Sarah Mann, Director of Recovery, reported that from 2022 through 2025, the program served 998 participants, conducted 5,584 check-in sessions, and released 47 individuals from jail directly to treatment. Blackford County's recidivism rate under the program is 22%, compared to the state average of 38.2%.

A pilot study across five sites found a 33% reduction in jail bookings and a 25% reduction in emergency department visits.

The total IRAC budget is approximately $260,000, Montpelier contributed $10,000. The program has a full-time peer recovery coach dedicated to Blackford County, with 3.5 staff serving the county.

Sheriff Heflin spoke in support: "This program is great... we don't have anything else."

No vote was taken. The Council directed the program to return at the August budget workshop. Council members also requested the organization's 501(c)(3) documentation.

Source: YouTube transcript — Blackford County - County Council Meeting - July 08, 2026

Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.