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The Harlan County Fiscal Court introduced the public to the new Harlan County Casey’s Law Advocate during the court’s regular meeting for October.

Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley called Casey’s Law Advocate Mandy Gooden in front of the magistrates before explaining the origins of the new position.

“This is part of the opioid settlement funds,” Mosley explained. “The court will receive funding as part of that settlement with a variety of opioid manufacturers, as did all counties and cities in the state.”

According to Mosley, part of those funds have been utilized to fund a Casey’s Law advocate for Harlan County.

“The first investment of those funds is to have someone who can help align folks in our community with drug treatment options,” Mosley said.

The Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy website states Casey’s Law is the Mathew Casey Wethington Act for Substance Abuse Intervention, named for Matthew Casey Wethington. Wethington died in 2002 from a heroin overdose at the age of 23.

“The Matthew Casey Wethington Act provides a means of intervening with someone who is unable to recognize his or her need for treatment due to their impairment. This law allows parents, relatives and/or friends to petition the court for treatment on behalf of the substance abuse-impaired person,” reads the website.

Gooden expressed her thoughts on her new position.

“It’s an honor to be in this position,” Gooden said. “It’s something that’s very dear to my heart. Five years ago, I was one of the people that was part of the system. Jail was a revolving door for me. So, I have a lot of faith in recovery and a lot of faith in the people that are able to get help.”

Mosley has high expectations for the new position.

“I’m certainly very excited about Mandy’s work,” Mosley said. “She’s hit the ground running…If there are people in your areas that you feel like she needs to meet with, reach out to our office and we’ll connect you with Mandy.”

Mosley explained Gooden will travel around the county to meet with people who have transportation issues.

“If you have folks that you feel like need a chance to talk to her about a loved one that might need some help – they don’t have to be incarcerated – Casey’s Law is a thing that can be initiated by any family member to get someone some help immediately,” Mosley said. “It’s something a lot of folks aren’t familiar with; some folks have heard of it but they don’t know what it is. It’s a great opportunity to help keep someone alive.”

Mosley noted the creation of the new position is a timely one.

“The Harlan County Sheriff texted me photos of a bust they were involved in which involved enough fentanyl to kill 100,000 people, four times the population of this county,” Mosley said. “Fentanyl is killing 225 people in the United States a day, which is just scary…the timing of having somebody in this position has never been more critical, because of the way our community has been ravaged by fentanyl.”

Mosley gave a few examples of individuals in their teens or early 20’s who have died as a result of fentanyl.

“I just want to say to the public, if you know someone that is trafficking you need to report it to the Sheriff,” Mosley said. “If you know someone that’s hooked and needs help, you need to call Mandy and get them some help, because the help is out there…traffickers need to be in prison, people that are addicted need to be in treatment.”