Health Services Center, Inc. (HSC) proposes Project ROAR (Recovery, Outreach, Awareness, and
Resilience) an evidence-based intensive outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and
concurrently available methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program for low income, uninsured
adults (age 18 and up) living with opioid use disorders. Services will be provided in Etowah
County, Alabama, a rural/non-urban area of northeast Alabama with a high prevalence of negative
consequences from the opioid epidemic (e.g., health and legal consequences, family disruption) and
low access to MAT, comprehensive, long-term SUD treatment and wrap-around recovery resources. The
proposed program will particularly seek to serve persons living with or at risk of HIV disease
and/or viral hepatitis C (HCV), persons of color, and women, as these populations are perennially
underserved in the target area and face additional risks from untreated opioid disorders. In the
proposed project, HSC will partner with an area MAT provider, Gadsden Treatment Center (GTC) to
expand and enhance treatment for opioid disorders, through increasing access to MMT and concurrent
provision of evidence-based intensive outpatient behavioral treatment services, mental health (MH)
services, case management (CM), social and transit supports, and long-term aftercare and recovery
support.
Annually, the program will provide 75 initial SUD assessments and will serve a minimum of 50
persons annually through MMT and intensive outpatient (IOP) SUD treatment and individual MH, and CM
services (150 over the course of the project). The ROAR Program will address high need and low
access to services in several ways. First, HSC will build on partnerships with the community and
local providers/stakeholders to increase marketing and availability of services. Second, HSC will
partner with GTC to facilitate entry to and retention in MMT for 12 months from program entry.
Third, HSC will provide enrollees with an evidence-based model of treatment, Living in Balance,
which has strong research support in decreasing substance use and mental health symptoms and
increasing housing and employment. Fourth, HSC will provide long-term aftercare for enrollees,
including MH, CM, and SUD services. Finally, the HOME Program will host an annual regional
conference focused on SUD/SMI and homelessness issues. Measureable outcomes include decreased
substance use and mental health symptoms, increased housing stability, employment, social
connectedness, and access to and retention in treatment.
The highly experienced project staff has been providing similar services to the target population
for over 15 years. The ROAR Project will expand and enhance these successes. HSC is accredited by
the State of Alabama for provision of behavioral health treatment and GTC is accredited for
provision of MMT. A thorough performance assessment, including both local and SAMHSA-requested
performance measures, is proposed.