RCORP-Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Prevention | |
UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence Newsletter | |
Supporting rural communities as they write
a new chapter in overcoming the overdose crisis
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Prevention in Rural Communities | |
Community Conversation in Wenatchee, WA, hosted by Thriving Together |
In This Issue
- Community-based pilot projects
- Appalachian Syndemic Summit
- Rural SUD Info Center
- Posters to promote stigma-free care settings
- Report on Community-led Safe Spaces
- Selection of resources from our partners
We highlight prevention projects now underway, share the positive experience of team members at the Appalachian Syndemic Summit last May, and introduce new resources.
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Community-based pilot projects
This year our Rural Center of Excellence on Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Prevention has been laying the foundations for community-based projects related to:
- Preventing substance use and SUD among adolescents and youth, with attention to trauma-informed care and to e-cigarette use
- Managing pain in primary care settings and after medical or dental surgery
- Reducing stigma around SUD and treatment
These initiatives are being developed collaboratively. As we engage with and learn from rural partners—including families, schools, health care providers, and social service agencies—we will be adapting best practices to draw upon the strengths and meet the needs of rural communities.
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For the Growing Resilience initiative, we are partnering with rural communities to develop trauma-informed approaches to support SUD prevention for rural youth. Learning from schools, pediatric and family medicine practices, social service agencies, and others working with young people, we are collaborating on relevant evidence-based interventions to address the impact of trauma and reduce the risk of developing SUD. Interviews and the development of a Community Action Board in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Steuben counties of New York are laying the groundwork for this effort.
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In collaboration with schools, community members, and tobacco and SUD treatment specialists in rural areas, we are developing educational programs and resources to address e-cigarette use (vaping) among adolescents. The program focuses on two areas:
- Supporting adolescents in quitting e-cigarettes through a group medical visit-style treatment program
- Supporting health care providers through a credit-bearing educational program about nicotine replacement therapy and treating nicotine use disorder in youth
Learnings from focus groups will inform modifications to an existing curriculum for students and professional educational materials.
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Partnering with rural providers around pain management
We are proud to have teamed up with providers in rural communities to carry out pain management initiatives. With Finger Lakes Community Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center, we implemented a program that provides case consultation about pain management to support primary care providers.
With Jones Memorial, Noyes Geneseo, Noyes Memorial, and St. James hospitals in the Southern Tier region of New York, we adapted and are implementing a post-operative pain management initiative. This program establishes prescribing guidelines and alternative, non-opioid pain-management approaches through patient and provider education and an opioid explorer dashboard.
We look forward to expanding these programs through new partnerships with rural primary care providers and hospitals. We are also developing a pilot program that focuses on pain management after oral surgery.
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There is not a “one size fits all” approach to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration explains. By reducing stigma related to methadone, this project aims to make all Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) available in communities.
We look forward to learning from people who live and work in rural communities to better understand the impact of stigma on MOUD, including methadone. What we learn will shape the development of resources to help overcome stigma and improve access to treatment for individuals in rural areas.
Please fill out a brief form to connect.
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The center’s Community Conversations on OUD initiative has broadened its reach in rural communities across the country. Participants connect with fellow community members to develop local solutions to reduce stigma, learning from the stories of individuals with lived experience of recovery. This year, we have expanded the video clips and portraits featured in workshops to better reflect the diversity of rural communities. As of August 2024, 1,548 people have participated in workshops.
To make the program more sustainable, the center has trained 550 facilitators so far to lead workshops in their communities. In addition to training, facilitators draw on presentations, a detailed workshop guide, handouts, and other resources. They can also connect for support through virtual meetings.
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What prevention resources are available in your community? What kinds of resources are needed?
Please take a moment to share your thoughts.
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Summit Creates Forum for Information Sharing and Innovation | |
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Representatives from our center came back energized after attending the first annual Appalachian Syndemic Summit last May in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The summit had around 350 attendees from the Appalachian region. Its focus was to “identify sustainable solutions to the HIV, hepatitis, and overdose syndemic across Appalachia as a united region.”
Breakout sessions addressed topics such as opportunities for integration between health policy and service responses and collaboration among health care providers, best practices for applying opioid settlement funding, economic infrastructure and income equity, and promoting a proactive health agenda to address disparities and adopt evidence-based practices.
On topics such as overcoming barriers to SUD treatment, participants found ample opportunity to learn from each other and discuss programs that worked well and those that didn't. “The summit was set up to leave room for people to talk and connect,” said Carolyn Chaudhary, our center’s community outreach coordinator. “People were talking and sharing information into the night.”
Program Manager Michele Herrmann observed that “Many people were exploring partnership development within rural communities.” Her presentation, “Equipping Rural Behavioral Health Providers: Innovative Approaches to Delivering Care and Supporting Professional Development,” led to discussion of ways to break down silos among treatment services and departments such as infectious disease and OBGYN.
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The three Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Rural Centers of Excellence on SUD have launched a website, the Rural SUD Info Center, to serve as a clearinghouse of resources for rural communities. It is designed to support service providers, community organizations, and others who are looking to build and strengthen a comprehensive approach to SUD. Free resources—including webinar recordings and presentations, resource guides, articles, posters, fact sheets, and videos—provide information and highlight best practices related to SUD.
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Our website now includes an expanded gallery of posters that rural care settings can use to promote an environment free of SUD stigma while connecting individuals and families with treatment resources.
Each poster features an individual in recovery or an emergency department provider who cares for people with SUD. QR codes on the posters link to short videos where these individuals share their stories.
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We have published a report with SafeSide Prevention that examines the potential benefits of establishing Community-led Safe Spaces in rural communities to provide support for people in distress. Safe Spaces offer a promising option for individuals seeking connection and help in navigating a crisis but who do not require medical intervention. Staffed by trained peers with lived experience who provide emotional and practical support, they are designed to be easily accessible and reduce stigma for people seeking assistance.
The report describes strong interest in this approach and why it may help fill gaps in the current crisis-care system.
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A selection of resources from our partners
RCORP-TA podcast highlights prevention program in schools
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In the August 20 Rural Roads podcast episode “Northern Kentucky’s School-Based MRT Program,” Vice President of Health Innovations at Northern Kentucky University Valerie Hardcastle shares insights on the implementation of Moral Recognition Therapy (MRT) at schools in the northern Kentucky region. The program aims to prevent substance misuse and provide support to students. | |
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Fletcher Group newsletter explains legal landscape for recovery home operators
In their Recovery newsletter in July, the Fletcher Group Rural Center of Excellence offered a guide for understanding the legal rights and responsibilities of recovery home operators. Featuring expertise from Brandon Pauley, the newsletter is organized into sections on landlord/tenant basics, duties and obligations, and compliance challenges.
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We look forward to learning about your community's initiatives and needs related to SUD.
Reach out to Program Assistance to start a conversation.
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This HRSA RCORP RCOE program is supported by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) as part of an award of $3.33M in the current year with 0% financed with non-governmental sources.
The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by HRSA, HHS or the US Government.
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