Tuesday, April 29, 2025
4/29/2025
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Overdose Response - Address:7232 Justin Way, Mentor, OH 44060 Project Director Name: Anna Whitmer Contact Information 931-449-9324 (p), 440-918-3839 (f), awhitmer@shinc.org Website Address, if applicable: www.signaturehealthinc.org Grant program funds requested: $300,000 Signature Health Inc. (SHI) provides comprehensive mental health, addiction recovery, primary care, and infectious disease services to individuals with low-income in northeast Ohio. Through funding from the Health Services Resource Administration’s (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program- Overdose Response grant, SHI will expand its Mobile Clinic initiative in Ashtabula County, Ohio and improve capacity for opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD) telehealth and home-based treatments. SUD and OUD screenings at community locations will be co-delivered with screening and testing for infectious diseases, impacting 525 individuals in rural Ashtabula County. According to the Ohio Department of Health, unintentional drug poisoning is the leading cause of injury death in Ohio, surpassing motor vehicle crashes. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health compared states throughout the country and found that Ohio residents have an unusually high risk of drug overdose, despite average drug use across the state. In 2021, 27 individuals in the County experienced an accidental overdose (23 involving fentanyl) and the number of responses to non-fatal overdoses increased by 39% from 2020 to 2021. The largest barrier to drug and alcohol treatment in Ashtabula County is transportation. Nine percent of County residents do not have a vehicle in their household (7.7% in Ohio) and nearly half (49.5%) of adult residents travel outside of the County for healthcare. The large geographic area of the County makes transportation to access health care services difficult. There is one public transportation service in Ashtabula City, but it exclusively operates within the city limits where only about 18% of County residents live. If residents that do not have access to a vehicle need to attend an appointment, they may need to call off from work because the available bus routes are not timely. Funding from HRSA will support SHI’s Mobile Clinic, providing resources to expand best practice harm reduction activities and access to treatment. Activities include prevention of overdose deaths by distributing naloxone and fentanyl test strips; providing education and resources in low population areas of the county including in churches, community centers, libraries, sober houses, residential treatment centers and at large-scale community events; and offering infectious disease screening and testing. Activities supporting access to treatment include beginning and maintaining medication-assisted treatment (MAT) through accessible treatment including induction and ongoing treatment in patients’ homes, Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) groups, a telehealth option for IOP, and expanded transportation options for all types of treatment appointments with the purchase of a passenger van. Bringing help to where people live means that individuals can access the treatment they need without travelling outside of the County. Ashtabula County is the largest county by area in Ohio, with a total population of 97,337 (2021), representing 8% of the Ohio population (2021). While there are cities in the County, most residents live outside those population centers in rural areas. These rural areas often do not have health care centers, public transportation, and many families (15.7% in 2021) live in poverty. Mobile Clinic programming and accessible SUD/OUD treatment options will serve residents of Ashtabula County, but especially those in the rural areas. The populations most impacted by the opioid epidemic are those that have low income or live in poverty, have a lack of transportation and access to medical care, veterans, and those currently experiencing SUD or OUD and need access to treatment.
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).