CASA-Trinity, Inc. is a nonprofit substance use treatment provider serving rural communities across Western New York with comprehensive prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies. Through its RCORP-Impact grant, CASA-Trinity leads the Western New York Communities That HEAL (CTH) consortium, a multi-county network working to reduce opioid use disorder (OUD) and related risks. The consortium unites public health departments, treatment and recovery providers, community partners, communications experts, and grassroots organizations to advance community-driven strategies across Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Steuben, Livingston, and Wyoming counties.
The consortium identified rural outreach as a critical barrier to connecting isolated populations with available services. Initial discussions with NY FarmNet introduced the team to Adam Howell, a specialist in rural outreach. Building on that connection, CASA-Trinity partnered with Adam through his company, Appius Communications, to design a broader communications strategy that extends beyond the farming community and reaches rural households across the six-county region.
A cornerstone of this work is a data-driven mailing campaign. Using public data sources such as naloxone administrations and overdose reports, the team cross-referenced substance use indicators with rural geographies and applied the U.S. Postal Service Every Door Direct Mailing (EDDM) system. This approach avoided the high cost of commercial mailing lists and instead produced a locally informed, hyper-targeted outreach tool. These tailored mailers promote the 211 texting program to connect households with treatment and recovery resources.
To reinforce the mailing campaign, the consortium launched the Community Champions initiative. Community Champions are trusted local advocates trained to share information, reduce stigma, and serve as referral sources for treatment and recovery supports. This grassroots model ensures outreach materials are paired with real community voices, strengthening overall impact.
Looking ahead, CASA-Trinity and Appius Communications are co-developing a Rural Communications Training toolkit, which will equip partners, champions, and local stakeholders with strategies for:
- Building trust and effective messaging
- Leveraging informal networks
- Tailoring outreach to rural realities
- Sustaining long-term communications capacity
Launching in the second year, the toolkit will be refined over time to expand and strengthen outreach efforts across the region. Through these efforts, CASA-Trinity and its partners are showing how non-traditional collaborations can break down barriers, elevate local voices, and ensure that even the most isolated communities have access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
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