The statistics for psychostimulant use effects in three rural Northeast Tennessee counties rang alarm bells for Ballad Health, a community health improvement system servicing 29 counties and 4 states in the Appalachian Highlands. Data showed a shocking increase in methamphetamine and intravenous drug use, a rise in the opioid overdose death rate, and a ranking on the CDC list of U.S. counties at high risk of HIV/hepatitis C outbreaks. Click here to read more.
Ballad Health’s answer was to use an RCORP-PS grant to strengthen and expand an already successful PEER (Programming-Education-Employment-Recovery) help program created from two previous RCORP-Planning and RCORP-Implementation grants. PEERhelp focuses on navigating social needs, recovery efforts, and second chance employment in Southwest Virginia.
Much of the PEERhelp program’s success comes from a staff of Certified Peer Recovery Specialists whose lived personal experience with addiction and incarceration elicits a quick mentor connection and trust from those they help to navigate the recovery process. Funds from the HRSA grant targeting psychostimulant use were earmarked to enhance and strengthen services for (1) individuals at risk for, diagnosed with, and in treatment or recovery for psychostimulant disorder; (2) their families and caregivers; and (3) other rural community members.
RCORP-PS Grant Program Accomplishments
To date, grant funds have helped the PEERhelp program train 102 Peer Recovery Specialists who will identify and address any gaps preventing successful recovery, including social determinants of health, recovery resources, and peer support services. The program also has connected more than 70 participants to second-chance employment through partnerships with local workforce development boards and employers.
Partnerships have been key to expanding the program:
- A community education program shared through faith-based and other local groups is helping destigmatize SUD.
- Ballad Health’s behavioral health department now conducts SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) screening as routine triage of ER patients. SBIRT is an approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment to people with substance use disorders and those at risk of developing these disorders. If needs are found, they are referred to PEERhelp community navigators.
- Local court systems and advocates now allow individuals to choose long-term substance use treatment as an alternative to jail sentences.
- Virtual and recovery meetings have been expanded to include support for families and caregivers.
Future plans include additional staff training, partnering with public school systems for prevention education and partnering with local recovery courts to create a Contingency Management Program.