Addiction Recovery Care Promotes Jason Merrick, Hires New Northern Kentucky Recovery Advocates to Lead Casey’s Law Educational Efforts
As part of its ongoing efforts to help Northern Kentuckians impacted by substance use, Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) has promoted Jason Merrick to Vice President of Program Development and hired three new Recovery Advocates to lead educational efforts around Casey’s Law in the region, including the founder of Casey’s Law, Charlotte Wethington.
Merrick joined ARC as Senior Director of Outpatient Services in October 2021. He was previously Director of Addiction Services at the Kenton County Detention Center in Covington, Kentucky. As ARC’s Vice President of Program Development, Merrick will continue to focus on expanding the organization’s treatment and recovery programs so that more people can access these life-changing services.
ARC has also hired Charlotte Wethington, founder of Casey’s Law, and Kimberly Wright and Joan Arlinghaus, who serve on the board of Casey’s Law Foundation. Wethington, Wright and Arlinghaus bring decades of experience advocating for access to substance use disorder treatment in Northern Kentucky. As Recovery Advocates for ARC, they will educate partners and community members about Casey’s Law and the important role it plays in helping individuals with substance use disorder and their loved ones.
“Each of us has witnessed a loved one battle addiction,” said Wethington. “We are passionate about helping Kentuckians impacted by substance use and are excited to work alongside ARC so more people in our communities can access the treatment and recovery services they need to be healthy.”
Casey’s Law allows family members of an individual struggling with substance use disorder to lawfully intervene and request court-ordered addiction treatment for their loved one. Casey’s Law is named for Charlotte Wethington’s son, Matthew “Casey” Wethington, who died of a drug overdose at age 23 after she and other family members were unable to intervene on his behalf.
Wright used Casey’s Law in 2013 to save her daughter’s life, and Arlinghaus found her passion helping others after supporting a family member through treatment and recovery. Together, they have spent the past four years traveling the state and leading a statewide Casey’s Law awareness campaign to educate families, local officials and court personnel about the legislation and how it can help connect more people with treatment services.
“Charlotte, Joan and Kimberly are an incredibly valuable addition to the ARC team, as well as our partners and the community members we serve,” said Tim Robinson, Founder and CEO of ARC. “We know that navigating the treatment process can be overwhelming for family members. Their experience, knowledge and commitment to helping others will be instrumental in helping Kentucky families.”
For more information on Casey’s Law and ARC’s services, please visit arccenters.com/family-and-friends/caseys-law.