Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Impact - Project Description: Rural Health Inc. (RHI), a federally qualified health center serving medically underserved Union, Johnson, and Massac counties in southernmost Illinois, proposes the Revitalizing Rural Communities Project: Holistic Solutions for Substance Use Disorders and Opioid Challenges in Southern Illinois Counties under the RCORP Impact funding initiative. Overall, this project aims to expand and enhance access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services, particularly targeting opioid and methamphetamine use disorders prevalent in the region. The proposed project addresses long-standing critical needs within the community, including limited access to full-spectrum, culturally-competent MOUD/SUD services, racial health disparities and underrepresentation, and lack of support for perinatal MOUD/SUD treatment and recovery. This proposal targets a diverse range of vulnerable populations, including perinatal women with substance use disorders, parents with polysubstance use, Hispanic/Latino migrant workers, justice-involved individuals, and children in drug-endangered environments. Through strategic expansion and coordination of services, RHI aims to improve access to and effectiveness of MOUD/SUD treatment and recovery services, thereby enhancing health outcomes and promoting sustained, long-term recovery within the target rural communities. Guided by the RCORP Impact funding goals, this project plans to address the following challenges: 1. Establishment and Expansion of Comprehensive Services: The project will expand MOUD/SUD services in Massac and Johnson counties, aiming to increase availability and utilization of MOUD treatment among perinatal individuals and parents with polysubstance use. Additionally, it will increase recovery support group options to be more inclusive of the Hispanic/Latino and perinatal population to aid in long-term recovery. 2. Development of a Responsive Workforce: RHI will enhance the peer and community health worker workforce through recruitment, training, and integration into a variety of settings and programs including a county jail, RHI’s OBGYN service department, and other non-traditional settings. This expansion supports the intended activities of identifying and supporting underserved individuals at-risk of or experiencing substance use disorders. 3. Coordination with Supportive Services: Dedicated social support services will be provided for perinatal populations at risk of or experiencing substance use disorders, justice involved individuals, Hispanic/Latino community members, and other individuals disproportionately impacted by social determinants of health. These targeted supports aim to reduce the impact of community and environmental risk factors; and include services such as transportation support, skill training, employment training, food security, and child care resources. These activities promote recovery and stable family environments in the target service area. 4. Innovative Approaches for Sustainability: Strategies include maximizing billing opportunities, leveraging existing funding streams, collaborating with the SIU School of Medicine Center for Rural Health for expertise and resources, and partnering with local chambers of commerce to create employment opportunities for individuals in recovery. This program will also include a biannual learning collaborative opportunity for small non-profit organizations and other healthcare agencies in the area to guide them through the process of applying for organizational medicaid credentialing to support sustainability in the organizations filling the service gaps in the community. Through strategic expansion and coordination of services, RHI aims to significantly improve access to and effectiveness of MOUD/SUD treatment and recovery services, thereby enhancing health outcomes and promoting sustained, long-term recovery within the target rural communities.
