Mariposa Community Health Center, Inc.

Santa Cruz County Overcoming Substance Addiction (SOSA) consists of 23 partners that represent seven sectors: primary and inpatient/emergency health care, behavioral health, law enforcement, emergency medical response, the legal system (courts and detention), education and youth development, and workforce development. Santa Cruz County is a rural, low income, Hispanic/Latino county on Arizona’s U.S.-México border with a severe shortage of behavioral health professionals. There are no in-patient treatment facilities, homeless shelters, transitional housing programs, or domestic violence shelters. The goal of SOSA is to collaborate across community sectors to increase availability of and access to culturally and linguistically appropriate services to prevent, treat and recover from substance use disorder (SUD) and especially opioid use disorder (OUD). SOSA’s goal will be achieved via three process objectives over the three-year grant period that address foundational core activities, prevention core activities, and treatment and recovery core activities. Mariposa Community Health Center is the applicant and lead partner and will contract with seven other consortium members to serve as Lead Partners. Together these eight entities, who have signed a Letter of Commitment, will ensure that consortium objectives and activities are fulfilled. Included in these eight Lead Partners, is the Arizona Prevention Research Center, an academic partner, who will be contracted to assist with data collection for reporting requirements as well as to conduct process and outcome evaluation to guide SOSA actions for project improvement and sustainability. SOSA will contribute to evidence-based practice in public health and clinical care regarding SUD/OUD in rural America and in Hispanic/Latino communities.