ROANOKE, Va. – A local program that has already supported thousands of individuals battling substance abuse is now set to expand across Virginia. The Bradley Free Clinic’s Hope Initiative, which has made a significant impact in the Roanoke area, is broadening its reach to other cities in the state.
Dignity and respect are often elusive for those in recovery. However, the Hope Initiative is moving individuals one step closer to these essential feelings of freedom.
“I didn’t know who I was when I stopped using substances,” said Christine Wright, a Behavioral Health Program Manager at the Bradley Free Clinic. “It became an exciting adventure to decide and figure out who I was.”
Wright’s journey began at a young age. She started using substances at just 12 years old.
“I began using in middle school and that escalated and evolved in different forms throughout middle school and high school into my young adulthood. I was prescribed opioids post-delivery of my first child, and that really sort of scratched that itch that I thought I had stored away to become a parent,” Wright said.
Now in recovery for eight years, Wright reflects on her journey from being a Hope Initiative peer to becoming a Behavioral Program Manager at the Bradley Free Clinic.
“Recovery looks different for everyone,” she noted. “We find recovery; we don’t get perfect.”
The Hope Initiative, founded by Janine Underwood after the tragic loss of her son to a drug overdose, has been instrumental in providing resources to 3,000 individuals struggling with substance abuse. With support from the Roanoke City Police Department, the program has been a beacon of hope and recovery.
“I was just there as a mom who had lost her son,” Underwood said. “I think every day the program honors the loss of my son.”
As the Hope Initiative expands, clinics in Bristol, Petersburg, and Kilmarnock will begin implementing the program.
“It warms my heart to see the impact that something that started 8 years ago has made in our community, and now throughout the state,” said Underwood, the Executive Director at the Bradley Free Clinic.