Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Impact - Georgia Southern University (GS), in partnership with East Georgia Healthcare Center (EGHC), Freedom Through Recovery (FTR), East Georgia Regional Medical Center (EGRMC), and the Bulloch and Screven County Sheriff's Offices, proposes BRIDGE (Building Recovery through Integrated Delivery, Guidance, and Engagement), a four-year project to establish coordinated, evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) services in Bulloch and Screven counties, Georgia. BRIDGE's desired outcomes are to increase the number of rural residents accessing prevention, treatment, and recovery services each project year, reduce overdose mortality, and build a sustainable, locally-owned system of SUD care that continues after the award period ends. BRIDGE uses a hub-and-spoke model across two rural counties. Bulloch County serves as the hub, home to Georgia Southern University, EGHC's primary clinical site, EGRMC, and FTR. Screven County, served by a second EGHC clinical site, is the spoke and carries the area's highest overdose burden, with an age-adjusted drug overdose death rate of 25.9 per 100,000 for 2020–2024, compared to Georgia's 21.2. Although Bulloch County has lower mortality rates, it lacks accessible community-based medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) outside a single opioid treatment program, a gap BRIDGE directly addresses. BRIDGE will deliver the full continuum of RCORP-Impact supported services. Treatment includes MOUD (buprenorphine) delivered by a rotating EGHC prescriber across both county clinic sites, paired with FQHC-embedded behavioral health counseling. Prevention includes SBIRT screening, distribution of overdose reversal medications, and peer-led community education. Recovery support is delivered by a full-time FTR peer mentor who conducts pre-release jail in-reach at both county jails and emergency department outreach at EGRMC, with warm handoffs to EGHC targeted within 72 hours. Supportive services include peer and professional navigation to health insurance, transportation, and other social supports. Workforce development activities will focus on building EGHC providers' confidence and competence in prescribing buprenorphine, supporting MATE Act training completion, certifying FTR's peer mentor through CARES and forensic peer mentor credentialing, and training jail and emergency department staff in SUD identification and overdose response. BRIDGE's network partners are East Georgia Healthcare Center, Freedom Through Recovery, East Georgia Regional Medical Center, the Bulloch County Sheriff's Office, and the Screven County Sheriff's Office, all five physically located within the target rural service area.
