FIRST Center Receives $100,000 from Appalachian Regional Commission’s INSPIRE Initiative
The FIRST CARES Project is part of an $11 million award package and will strengthen the recovery workforce system to help address the substance use disorder crisis in Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, Bedford, and Fulton Counties.
Huntingdon, PA (September 23, 2025) The FIRST Center has been awarded $100,000 by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to build and expand recovery-to-work supports in Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, Bedford, and Fulton Counties. The project is part of an $11 million award package through ARC’s Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative. INSPIRE addresses workforce gaps and economic challenges due to the impact of substance use disorder (SUD) in Appalachia.
“In order to have a healthy Appalachian economy, we must make sure we have a healthy Appalachian workforce,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “I am so proud of the way ARC’s INSPIRE initiative ecosystem empowers Appalachians in substance use disorder recovery to gain the training, resources and support they need to enter or re-enter the workforce while also becoming productive members of their families and communities.”
"We are honored to receive this funding from ARC, which will allow us to expand vital peer support, workforce readiness, and recovery-friendly resources across multiple rural counties,” said Karen Rush, Director of the FIRST Center. “This project builds stronger pathways to employment and wellness for individuals and families impacted by substance use disorder in our region.”
Since April 2021, ARC’s INSPIRE Initiative has invested $65.7 million in 200 projects that have impacted 380 counties across all 13 Appalachian states. These investments have secured an additional $48.1 million in matching project funds and are projected to improve nearly 4,000 businesses and help prepare over 18,100 individuals for new job opportunities.
Learn more at www.arc.gov/SUD.
About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
