Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Impact - In rural Grand, Moffat, and Routt Counties in Northwest Colorado, the public health challenges are as complex as the landscape. These include extensive intergenerational poverty, limited healthcare access, and notable rates of substance use disorder (SUD). SUD is common in rural and frontier areas. Still, the stigma around SUD limits the breadth of treatment programs, and geographic isolation prevents people from seeking treatment and living in sustained recovery. Further, the impacts of SUD ripple into the lives of children and families, sending a wave of impact across generations. To transform the landscape of treatment and recovery services, The Memorial Hospital, dba Memorial Regional Health (MRH), in collaboration with other Network partners, has developed a project to transform our community’s response to SUD and address urgent needs. This project focuses on supporting community members with SUD, including those who are justice-involved, as well as their families and support systems. This project will increase access to opioid treatment services by establishing a new methadone clinic to improve access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), creating a care continuum across Northwest Colorado. Additionally, this project will develop a region-wide contingency management program, the most evidence-based treatment for stimulants that is also effective for opioids, to improve treatment retention. It also focuses on expanding supportive services for families through training programs that build resilience and provide necessary skills and resources. To bolster the local workforce, MRH and Network partners will expand the peer recovery workforce and train new addiction counselors supported by scholarships. Dedicated roles spread across Network partners, such as Healthcare Navigators, Family Support Partners, Judicial Coordinators, and Care Coordinators, will also be promoted to serve individuals, families, and justice-involved populations across Grand, Moffat, and Routt Counties. To educate stakeholders on family-related issues, MRH and Network partners will host an annual Northwest Colorado Family Behavioral Health Conference. To further support our community members who are experiencing SUD, this project establishes a support voucher fund program to assist individuals and families in affording essential services like mental health, dental care, and transportation. This project also provides housing vouchers to justice-involved individuals who are re-engaging with society. To further support justice-involved populations, this project performs a needs assessment to tailor services that facilitate successful reintegration and sustained recovery. Additionally, a recovery community center will be created to provide justice-involved individuals with essential resources and support. This project addresses immediate health service gaps and builds a sustainable infrastructure to support the ongoing health needs of our communities. To streamline service provision, a closed-loop referral network (CLRN) will be implemented across our region. By implementing a CLRN, we will improve the coordination and efficiency of healthcare and social services across Northwest Colorado. This project addresses the immediate needs of individuals and families affected by SUD through these comprehensive efforts and integrated approaches. It builds a foundation for systemic change in the region’s approach to behavioral health and wellness. By focusing on individual recovery and family health, MRH and Network partners are committed to transforming the landscape and halting generational cycles of SUD. Individuals and families in Northwest Colorado will thrive after we complete the impactful activities described herein.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).