No images? View as Webpage

Volume 2 │ Summer 2021

Turning Pages UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence newsletter Supporting rural Appalachian communities as they write a new chapter in the fight against opioid overdose

Chapter Two Teamwork to Reduce Stigma

Meeting up in person

Our team at UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence was thrilled to visit Floyd, Knott, and Magoffin counties in Kentucky and Mingo and Wyoming counties in West Virginia this spring. After teaming up virtually with organizations leading treatment and recovery efforts, it was a joy to meet and plan face to face. Our hosts greeted us with open arms and shared their regions' rich culture and natural beauty. The focus of our meetings was a new campaign to reduce stigma around opioid use disorder (OUD) using art. The campaign is underway in Floyd County, where the mayor of Prestonsburg, Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, Mountain Regional Prevention Center, First United Methodist Church of Prestonsburg, Mountain Arts Center, and others have teamed up with us on the project.

Resources

Art campaign to reduce OUD-related stigma

The center's stigma campaign aims to humanize the opioid crisis in rural Appalachian communities through art, education, and conversation. Volunteers impacted by OUD (such as individuals in recovery, family members, law enforcement, and providers) are meeting with an artist to share their experiences and have their portraits painted. The portraits will show how stigma has impacted their path to treatment or to supporting others along their path. The art will be displayed locally (and on our website) and be a topic at community workshops focused on stigma and strategies to reduce it. Learn more about the stigma campaign.

Coordinating efforts

The three Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Rural Centers of Excellence created by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) are coordinating their efforts to reduce stigma and sharing tools through a new webpage. The site reflects each center's targeted approach to stigma that stands in the way of treatment and prevention. While our center is working on an art campaign, our fellow centers are taking these approaches: The Fletcher Group is focusing on direct engagement, nondiscriminatory language, justice initiatives, and provider/staff education around medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction (CORA) is providing evidence-based tools to address stigma—including guides and webinars for providers—and educational resources about harm reduction strategies. Check out the new page.

Looking Ahead

Managing Care for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in Rural Emergency Departments Our next webinar focuses on the Behavioral Health Assessment Officer (BHAO) model to increase access to mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) care in rural communities. A BHAO is a licensed behavioral health provider working in a rural emergency department (ED), who evaluates and manages care for patients identified at screening to have behavioral health concerns. Since individuals may see the ED as a more anonymous place to seek care than a mental health or SUD treatment setting, having a BHAO in the ED can help address stigma. BHAOs bring understanding of the unique rural community they serve. They listen to community voices, understand local strengths and barriers, and navigate resources with skill. We hope you'll join us on August 10th!

Register Today!

Details on other best practices we've shared are available on our website. For more information about the practices we support through our center, reach out to us for technical assistance.

Looking for more updates? Follow us on social media.

‌ ‌

recoverycenterofexcellence.org

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 totaling $9.1M 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.