The organization Vets Recover offers a lifeline to addicted veterans

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) – John Kilpatrick is a 38-year military veteran, a colonel in the Army Reserve and a ten-year veteran of the Marine Corps. He is the man behind the vision behind Vets Recover, and is himself in long-term recovery from alcohol addiction.

“It started with my own personal recovery,” Kilpatrick said. “You know, I’ve been in long-term recovery for 29 years. And so it all came out of my desire and need for my own recovery to help the next person.”

By that measure, you could say the Vets Recover idea has been decades in the making. Kilpatrick said the mission is to make sure help is available to vets sooner rather than later.

Kilpatrick said, “The VA has gotten a lot better; it’s no longer a six to eight month waiting list, but it’s still six to eight weeks. You know, if you’re in the middle of addiction and you’re trying to stop life or death, six to eight weeks, could be six to eight hours.

Vets Recover, which is open to veterans, first responders and their families, officially opened its doors in 2015. It is located in a former school building on Springhill Avenue that was completely remodeled to accommodate the his mission It is licensed for 34 beds, six of which are reserved for a detoxification program for medically supervised patients.

“You know, when someone goes into withdrawal, after drugs and alcohol, they can die, so it’s potentially life-threatening. So we have all the life support, doctors and nurses that keep them alive as they come out of drugs and alcohol,” Kilpatrick said.

These doctors, nurses and support staff are mostly veterans. Kilpatrick said this is important because many vets are not inclined to ask for help. It also helps fulfill their primary mission: breaking down barriers for veterans who want help.

He said: “We talked to all the providers in the community, trying to find out what the barriers were, what’s the problem? And we found it was a capacity problem, but also, the biggest thing was access to care So either they didn’t know where to go, they couldn’t get there or they couldn’t afford it.”

Kilpatrick said Vets Recover removes those barriers by giving vets struggling with addiction a place that will have their back and where they can go now. That’s why we’re recognizing Vets Recover and John Kilpatrick for serving those who serve.

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