By Alisha Proffitt • Photograhy by Matt Johnson
The Healing Place, a cornerstone of addiction recovery in Louisville, welcomes John-Mark Hack as its new CEO. Hack’s journey to The Healing Place is both a professional milestone and a personal homecoming. “I grew up in the South end, graduated from Male High School, Transylvania University, and the University of Kentucky for graduate school,” he shared. “I am a lifelong, die-hard Cardinal fan. My work experience spans business, government, the nonprofit sector, and academia. In this season of my life, I want to maximize my impact in my work, and returning home to lead The Healing Place is the best possible position to accomplish all of these goals.” Hack’s deep ties to the community and his commitment to impactful work make him a perfect fit for his new role at The Healing Place.
As Hack steps into his new role, he is keen on building upon The Healing Place’s strong foundation of effective recovery services. His immediate goals include strengthening the organization’s financial sustainability and enhancing community connections to broaden the understanding of available services. Hack is particularly eager to learn from the 80% of employees who are alumni of The Healing Place’s programs, leveraging their unique insights to optimize operations and extend their reach. “They are in a unique position to help me understand how we can optimize our operations and serve as many people as possible,” he says.
Hack is enthusiastic about new initiatives at The Healing Place, including a pilot short-term residential program aimed at improving service provision during and after detox. He plans to expand outpatient services and formalize the transitional phase of recovery with a workforce development program. This initiative seeks to equip clients with job skills and secure career-track employment, potentially through social enterprises directly connected to The Healing Place.
Community engagement remains a vital aspect of The Healing Place’s mission. Thanks to a grant from the Louisville Metro Government Opioid Abatement Commission, the organization will enhance its outreach in West Louisville and the South end. “We want to expand the availability of resources for people who are in active addiction, but also expand the availability of our resources to healthcare facilities, hospitals, and jails. We want to be a resource for first responders and the Louisville Metro Police Department as a place to bring people who need addiction recovery services.” Hack says. Additionally, The Healing Place has launched its first radio show, “Let’s Be for Real,” airing every Monday at 2:30 on WLLV. This show, hosted by alumni and employees, aims to foster community engagement and awareness about recovery.
Addressing the challenges faced by families of individuals in addiction, Hack emphasizes the importance of understanding that recovery is a personal journey. He advocates for resources like Al-Anon, a support network for families and friends of those struggling with addiction. Hack also highlights the critical role of naloxone (Narcan) in reversing opioid overdoses, encouraging everyone to have it readily available and to learn how to use it. “Because of the proliferation of opiates and the increasingly lethal nature of the opiates that are available on the street and their relatively low cost, I highly encourage everybody to have in their home supplies of naloxone. The brand name of naloxone is Narcan, and it is an aerosol that is administered to people who have overdosed on opiates. It has the effect of reversing the effects of overdose. It is a life saving measure. I strongly encourage everyone reading this article not only to have it in their home, but to familiarize themselves with how it is administered. Narcan saves tens of thousands of lives every day across this country and we need to equip ourselves with all the tools at our disposal to combat the overdose crisis that we are confronting.” he advises.
As Hack settles into his role, his message to those considering seeking help from The Healing Place is clear: “Our doors are always open 24/7, 365 days a year. Our detox and long-term recovery services are available at no cost to the client. With over 7,000 alumni, our peer-driven social model of recovery offers a compassionate and supportive environment. Your life can be restored to a meaningful and productive one here.”
For more information about The Healing Place and its services, visit www.thehealingplace.org.
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