HRSA releases $200,000 funding to Warren County for opioid epidemic

The Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced its second installment of Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)-planning grants.

The Warren County Community Health Coalition in Warren County received $200,000 for one year to support the Trump administration’s commitment to end the opioid crisis.

The grant awards go towards developing local stakeholder partnerships, conducting needs assessments, and developing plans to implement and sustain substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), prevention, treatment, and recovery interventions.

“RCORP-Planning is part of a multi-year initiative by HRSA to support treatment for and prevention of SUD/OUD,” said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas, MS, Ph.D. “The goal is to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the diseases in high-risk rural communities.”

The purpose of the funding is to address disparities that plague rural communities attempting to eradicate substance use disorder.

“Rural communities continue to face several challenges in accessing SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services,” said Associate Administrator for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Tom Morris. “Over half of rural counties nationwide lack a provider who is waivered to prescribe buprenorphine” (a medication used in combination with therapy to help people reduce or quit their use of opiates).

Rural communities also face workforce shortages, geographic barriers, limited treatment infrastructure, and stigma associated with SUD/OUD.

For more information:

• To review a complete list of all grant recipients www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/rcorp/planning/awards.
• For more information about the RCORP initiative, please contact Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
• To learn more about how HRSA is addressing the opioid epidemic, visit https://www.hrsa.gov/opioids.