The RCORP project supports prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services for opioid use disorder (OUD) populations in Litchfield County by expanding the capacity of the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force (LCOTF). The LCOTF is a community collaborative working together to address substance use disorder (SUD) and its root causes in the northwest corner of Connecticut. The LCOTF is led by co-chairs from McCall Behavioral Health Network and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and includes representation from local behavioral health providers, social services, health departments, state and local government, law enforcement and first responders, foundations, faith community members, people with SUD and their families, and more.
Through RCORP Implementation, the LCOTF continues to increase access to services, including mobile medication-assisted treatment (MAT), recovery coaching in various settings, telehealth, behavioral health screening, harm reduction, access to HIV resources and OUD education, and community awareness events. RCORP Implementation also supports the LCOTF in their efforts to share data resources, assess the community needs, and ensure programs continue to be supportive and responsive to all members of the local community. The membership works to coordinate efforts through weekly support meetings for all outreach staff in the community, monthly consortium meetings for the full membership, and ongoing meetings for the subcommittees of the LCOTF, including the Executive Committee, RCORP Steering Committee, DEI Subcommittee, Data Subcommittee, Professional Development Subcommittee, and Harm Reduction Subcommittee.
Recent topics of interest have included expansion of mobile MAT in conjunction with harm reduction services, the administration of an LGBTQIA+ survey to assess needs and access to services, and coordinated multi-agency efforts to maximize resources available in various community settings, including local soup kitchens and shelters.
Additional information and resources developed by the LCOTF are available at www.LCOTF.org