Macon County Recovery Community Program - PROJECT ABSTRACT Project Title: Macon County Recovery Community Program The Community Health Improvement Center dba Crossing Healthcare (Crossing) is a 501(c)(3) Section 330 funded Community Health Center organization providing comprehensive primary and preventative medical services, nutrition services, outreach and enabling services, behavioral health services, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment including Medication Assisted Treatment, transitional housing, and recovery living, in Decatur, Macon County, in east central Illinois. Through this initiative, Crossing Healthcare and the Macon County Recovery Community (MCRC) seek to improve long-term recovery for persons with substance use disorder through purposeful supportive connections with peers in recovery, family and community education, and community-based collaborations. The population of focus includes individuals aged 18 and older with SUD and families of individuals with SUD. Demographics of the service area document increasing rates of heavy drinking and opioid use among adults of all ages, racial and ethnic groups, as well as pregnant women. Project goals include: • Expand access to coordinated Peer Recovery Support Services for persons with SUD and their families to increase the likelihood of long-term sobriety. • Increase the capacity of the catchment area to provide safe, healthy, family-like substance free living environments for persons in recovery. • Increase family and community awareness of SUD and its long-term implications through the development of the Macon County Recovery Community. To achieve these goals, a formal peer recovery support program will be developed, with clients screened for unmet needs when entering the program and offered weekly recovery support services by trained peer recovery staff. The MCRC will work together to identify sources and services for addressing identified client needs. Monthly social events will be conducted with clients to promote meaningful connections and positive social interventions. The MCRC will also work to expand area-wide harm reduction efforts, provide SUD education to family members of persons with SUD, youth education at schools, and general community education. The project will also focus on expanding the availability of recovery housing in the community by partnering with two local landlords. Project partners in the MCRC including Crossing Healthcare, Baby TALK, the Empowerment Opportunity Center, Workforce Investment Solutions, and Project Read Plus. Together, the partners offer a menu of individualized, person-centered, and strength-based services for persons in recovery. Peer Recovery Support Services will be directly provided to 40 unique individuals in Year 1, 60 in Year 2, and 80 in Year 3, for a total of 180 persons. Moreover, over 200 persons annually will receive some type of SUD training and/or education services.
