Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Impact - Constructing Circles of Peace proposes BRIDGE to Recovery, a four-year initiative to expand coordinated substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery, and supportive services throughout rural Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The project will address opioid use disorder, fentanyl and counterfeit-pill risks, alcohol and polysubstance use, co-occurring behavioral health needs, and the geographic, financial, and service-access barriers that prevent rural residents from entering and remaining in care. Each year, Circles of Peace will provide direct evidence-informed prevention services to at least 700 youth through workshops, assemblies, and school and community programming. A weekly radio and podcast series will reach an estimated 2,000 youth, caregivers, and community members with prevention information and connections to local resources. The project will also enroll at least 40 youth and adults annually in coordinated treatment and recovery services, including outreach, intake, screening, assessment, individualized treatment planning, outpatient or intensive outpatient services when clinically appropriate, recovery support, weekly restorative justice circles, case management, and follow-up. Mariposa Community Health Center will serve as the lead health care and medication-assisted treatment partner, providing clinical assessment and access to medications for opioid use disorder through expedited warm handoffs. All treatment and recovery participants will be screened for insurance, housing, transportation, food, childcare, employment, education, health care, and other supportive-service needs. Staff will provide navigation, direct assistance when allowable, and closed-loop referral follow-up. RCORP-Impact funding will support a Project Director, Program Coordinator, Behavioral Health Provider, Recovery Support Specialist, and a Prevention Specialist/Community Educator. The project will also provide annual Sequential Intercept Model training for approximately 60 justice-system partners and annual behavioral health and SUD training for approximately 60 providers and peer professionals. The Santa Cruz County Drug Free Community BRIDGE Coalition will serve as the project’s multi-sector network. Expected outcomes include increased prevention access, expanded treatment and recovery participation, faster connection to medication services, improved referral completion and retention, stronger workforce capacity, improved justice-system coordination, and a sustainable countywide continuum of care.
