Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Impact - The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation, proposes the EMBRACE Recovery and Resiliency (Empowering Mothers through Behavioral health, Recovery, Resiliency, Access, and Community Engagement) project to improve access to integrated, coordinated, and sustainable substance use disorder (SUD) services, including opioid use disorder (OUD) services, in rural Union County, Arkansas, with a focus on pregnant and postpartum individuals and families. Union County is disproportionately affected by opioid misuse, fentanyl exposure, stimulant use, and shortages of behavioral health and recovery services. Reflecting poor maternal and child health outcomes across the state, Union County has one of the highest perinatal SUD prevalence rates in the U.S. Substance use during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of maternal morbidity and mortality, overdose, poor birth outcomes, child welfare involvement, and long-term impacts on child and family well-being. There are no maternal or perinatal SUD treatment services available for pregnant and postpartum individuals, resulting in a critical gap in care. At the same time, there is strong community readiness and existing infrastructure to address identified barriers. Prior HRSA-supported initiatives successfully expanded perinatal behavioral health screening, care coordination, home visiting, and community health worker (CHW) services. Community needs assessments identified critical gaps in dedicated SUD treatment, recovery support, and medications for OUD (MOUD) access for pregnant and postpartum individuals. RCORP-Impact funding will build upon the strong foundation established through prior initiatives and address the remaining gaps in SUD prevention, treatment, recovery, and supportive services. The project includes four goals: 1) to expand access to evidence-based SUD prevention, treatment, recovery, and MOUD services in rural Union County where dedicated perinatal SUD services are currently not available; 2) to facilitate sustained, long-term recovery for rural individuals and families impacted by SUD through care coordination provided by community health workers (CHWs) and peer recovery specialists; 3) to develop a larger and more responsive rural SUD workforce by establishing and implementing a perinatal SUD certification for CHWs and training rural providers in evidence-based perinatal SUD treatment, MOUD, behavioral health integration, trauma-informed care, and recovery support; and 4) to engage and sustain a multisector rural network to improve long-term recovery outcomes for rural perinatal individuals and families impacted by SUD. Proposed network partners include the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation (lead applicant), Mainline federally qualified health center (treatment), New Haven Recovery Lodge (recovery support), Grace Bridges (recovery support), Water’s Edge (prevention and recovery support), and 100 Families (recovery support). UAMS is prepared to report on all required performance measures. Through integrated care, recovery support, workforce development, and community partnerships, EMBRACE will improve access to services, increase treatment and recovery participation, and strengthen the rural SUD system of care for individuals, families, and communities. The project also advances multiple Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) priorities by expanding access to evidence-based preventative, value-based, primary and behavioral health care in rural areas, thereby improving health outcomes, strengthening families, and improving long-term community health and resilience. As a new service area for an applicant that is not a current RCORP-Impact awardee, the project is aligned with Funding Priorities 1 and 2.
