Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Impact - One Small Step, Inc. (OSS) proposes the Rural Arizona Opioid Recovery Network (RAORN), a five-member consortium expanding access to substance use disorder (SUD) prevention, treatment, and recovery services across Yavapai and Graham Counties, Arizona. RAORN builds on OSS's existing, operating peer recovery support platform and established contracted relationships with three of its four network partners to formalize a coordinated, rural-focused service delivery network. The project's desired outcomes include increasing peer recovery support session volume delivered in rural areas from a baseline of fewer than 100 to over 1,000 sessions per month by Year 4, expanding AHCCCS enrollment among uninsured patients, increasing the proportion of partner referrals converting into enrolled peer support patients, and achieving durable, non-grant-dependent sustainability through direct AHCCCS billing by the project's end. The target rural service area spans two HRSA-designated rural counties in north-central Arizona. Both counties face documented behavioral health workforce shortages, including active Mental Health Professional Shortage Area designations in Safford (Graham County) and the Verde Valley area including Camp Verde (Yavapai County). RAORN will deliver a full continuum of direct services: medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment, including buprenorphine, available at four network treatment sites; prevention services including early childhood and family support programming, community-based education, naloxone distribution, and peer-delivered support for at-risk family members and caregivers; and peer-led recovery support, including supported employment and connection to recovery communities. Supportive services include benefits counseling, AHCCCS enrollment assistance, and non-emergency medical transportation navigation delivered by a dedicated Navigator. Workforce development activities include hiring 3–5 additional certified peer recovery specialists per year through Year 3, funding site-based Program Managers at each clinical partner site, trauma-informed care training for partner staff, and loan repayment program support for eligible providers. RAORN's network partners are Polara Health and Spectrum Healthcare (Yavapai County), Easterseals Blake Foundation (Graham County), and the Yavapai Justice & Mental Health Coalition, housed within the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, which connects justice-involved individuals to peer recovery support at points of crisis contact, detention, and release.
