I. Abstract Project Title: Breaking the Barriers to Opioid Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery in Minority Rural Communities in Alabama Requested Award Amount 918,006 Applicant Organization Name The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL Applicant Organization Address 650 University Blvd E. Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Application Organization Facility Type Academic Institution Project Director Name and Title Shameka L. Cody, PhD, AGNP-C Assistant Professor Contact Information (p) 205 348 3374 (f) 205 348 5559 E-Mail Address slcody@ua.edu How the applicant learned about this funding opportunity? HRSA Project Officer Consortium Members: University of Alabama; West Alabama Mental Health Center; Indian Rivers Behavioral Health Center; Five Horizons Health Services FY20 RCORP Planning Award Recipient; FY19 RCORP Planning Consortium Member Target Population: Minority youth and adults at risk for opioid use disorder and/or mental illness, those who have been diagnosed, and their families/caregivers. Target Service Area: 3 counties in rural Alabama a. Fully Rural Counties - Greene and Sumter Counties b. Partially Rural Counties - Pickens County (Ethelsville and Macedonia, census tract 502) Purpose: To increase awareness and eliminate stigma in rural minority communities, while bridging gaps in services for OUD and mental health disorders. Needs to be addressed: It is challenging to address OUD and mental illness in the targeted minority communities for several reasons. 1) The topic is not openly discussed; 2) OUD and mental illness are not considered issues that should be addressed; 3) African Americans (AA) fear incarceration for illegal drug dependency; 4) AA are double stigmatized by their minority status and SUD; and 5) Intergenerational substance use and polysubstance use are common among impoverished communities. Therefore, minorities are less likely to report trauma/mental illness and seek treatment for chronic pain, which can lead to self-medicatio
n with opioids and street drugs to cope with these problems. Proposed services: Data from the HRSA RCORPIII opioid planning grant revealed community-wide hesitancy with seeking services for opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery. We propose to implement four innovative, community-focused initiatives to increase awareness and eliminate opioid-related stigma among adults and youth. These initiatives will include culturally and age-appropriate education with screening and treatment of OUD, mental illness, and secondary infections (HIV/STI) in nontraditional settings to reach at-risk minority rural residents. Population/groups to be served: Adults (19+) and youth (age 12-18) at risk for OUD and/or mental illness, those diagnosed, and their families and caregivers living in Greene, Sumter, and rural Pickens counties.