Breaking Free from Substance Use: Rural Arkansas Drug Court Project - Summary of Project: The Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (applicant) will partner with two Adult Treatment Drug Courts located in rural Arkansas (Monticello & DeWitt) to strategically expand substance use treatment and recovery support services to drug court clients. To accomplish efforts, diverse cross-sector partners including rural hospitals, federally qualified health centers, behavioral health treatment facilities, and workforce agencies will be engaged. Project Name: Breaking Free from Substance Use: Rural Arkansas Drug Court Project Population(s) to be Served: The target population is adults (age 18 and above) diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) as their primary condition who participate in selected Adult Treatment Drug Courts (ATDC) in Arkansas and Drew Counties, Arkansas. The adult drug court client population is largely male (67%), Caucasian (68%) (followed by African American (30%)), English-speaking, and between the ages of 20 to 40 (75%). Strategies/Interventions: The proposed project will support and expand successful best-practice drug court efforts. This will be accomplished by 1) hiring dedicated staff to support the coordination, implementation, and evaluation of efforts, 2) facilitating the convening of project partners and key stakeholders to enhance communication and coordination of service delivery, 3) providing individualized peer support to drug court clients to promote successful engagement in the treatment and recovery process, and 4) improving the collection of relevant data across multiple partners to support demonstrated improvements in access to health and health-social services (including but not limited to substance use treatment and recovery) in drug court clients. Project Goals & Measurable Objectives: Goal 1. Beginning October 2024, strengthen and expand existing infrastructure to provide comprehensive health and health-social support (including Substance Use Disorder treatment and recovery support) to adults diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) as their primary condition who participate in selected Adult Treatment Drug Courts (ATDC) in rural Arkansas. Objectives: 1) In the pre-award phase, the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (applicant) will develop formal partnerships with participating Adult Treatment Drug Courts, health, health-social, and workforce organizations; 2) Upon notice of award, the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP) will transition existing staff (4) and assign a Capstone student (1) to support the coordination, implementation, and evaluation of project efforts; and 3) By December 31, 2024, establish and disseminate clearly defined processes, work flows, referral patterns, and data collection tools to support best-practice improvements within the drug court process. Goal 2. Throughout the five-year period of performance, improve the health and wellness of at least 240 individuals with SUD involved with participating drug courts in rural Arkansas. Objectives: 1) Beginning January 2025, provide prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services for 40-50 individuals with SUD involved with the courts each year; and 2) Beginning January 2025, provide targeted peer recovery support services to 40-50 individuals with SUD involved with the courts each year to strategically improve health, health-social, and criminal justice involvement outcomes. Number of People to be Served Annually: Yr 1: 40; Yrs 2-5: 50 Number of People to be Served for the Entire Project: At least 240
