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The Winchester City Commission has spent much of May going over budgetary plans. 

However, it also took time to recognize the need for both mental and physical health. 

At a recent meeting of the Commission, May was recognized as Mental Health Month, while the Commission also took time to learn and consider the importance of certified Recovery Residences. 

Joined by the city commissioners as well as a representative of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), Winchester Mayor JoEllen Reed narrated a proclamation naming May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month with the theme being to “turn awareness into action”. 

“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being; it affects how we think, feel, and act; it also affects how we manage stress, relate to others, and make choices,” stated a portion of the proclamation. “Each business, school, government agency, healthcare provider, organization and citizen share the burden of mental health problems and have a responsibility to promote mental wellness and prevention efforts.” 

Mayor Reed concluded with some final words. 

“Mental health is in everyone’s life and everyone’s family, and we don’t realize just the stressful situations that we get in sometimes,” said Winchester Mayor JoEllen Reed. “We need to make a concentrated effort to do better.” 

Additionally, the Commission heard a presentation from Dane Prieston, who serves as Executive Director of the Kentucky Alliance of Recovery Residences (KYARR). 

Prieston advocated for the Commission considering a draft ordinance geared toward creating local policies that will enforce certifications on recovery residencies. 

“For those that don’t know, recovery is a lifelong journey,” said Prieston. “Having a safe and structured environment to live in…is vital, and that’s really where we come in to make sure that these places are actually adhering to a very specific set of standards.” 

After explaining some legislative history and defining recovery residencies, Prieston pointed out that over 300 certified recovery residences with approximately 4,000 beds currently exist statewide. 

He also mentioned that the certification process takes place in three steps that incorporate such factors as obtaining liability insurance, agreeing to a code of ethics and grievance policy, adhering to occupancy limits, and more. 

With enforcement of standards dependent on individual cities, Prieston’s drafted ordinance seeks to allow for enforcement from the city while respecting individual rights of all residences. 

“These are people’s homes,” he said. “We are doing our best to meet with cities and talk about best practices on how to create an ordinance that holds recovered residences accountables, gives the city teeth to go after recovery residences that are not meeting the certification standards, but still protects the rights of the residences.” 

No official action was taken at this time, though the Commission intends to consider an ordinance in the future with Mayor Reed asking City Attorney Bill Dykeman to review the draft ordinance and provide necessary feedback.