A new program in Chesterfield County is making the lives of residents seeking opioid addiction treatment much easier, providing Ubers to meetings they normally would not be able to reach. This program is run by the local Goodwill, with costs being split between Goodwill and the Chesterfield Department of Mental Health Support Services, which has received federal grant money for this project. The program hopes to make the road to recovery easier by removing obstacles such as transportation that prevent many people from succeeding.

Currently, 11 people are enrolled in the program, and they can go to any pre-approved location as long as they are still in treatment. A current participant in the program, Cox, has said that many of his peers bike or hitch rides to recovery meetings, if they can make it at all. He has said that the collaboration has been a lifesaver for him, and that he doesn’t think he would be sober today if it weren’t for this program.

Heads of the Chesterfield County have said that despite the program’s impact on residents, the grant has already been reduced, and this is likely the last year it will be in operation. However, they hope that all of the localities in the Richmond region will chip in and allow this program to continue.