This project pairs Middle Tennessee State University Center for Health and Human Services with Cedar Recovery Addiction Treatment Center to expand Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) services to six previously underserved HRSA-designated rural communities. Through this partnership, a new physical location will be established in one HRSA designated area and a new mobile unit will serve Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence and Marshall Counties.
Cheatham County is located ~30 miles from Nashville and is designated as a rural county. Cheatham County is a part of one of three High Impact Areas for opioid use disorder interventions in the state of Tennessee. In 2019, opioid overdose death rates in the county were more than double the state rate. Cheatham had an overdose rate of 78.8 per 100,000 in 2019 compared to the state rate of 38.4 and the national rate of 28.7.
Since 2018, the Rural Community Opioid Response Program-East Tennessee Consortium (RCORP-ETC) has applied research-based evidence and community expertise to address prevention, treatment, and recovery related to opioid use disorder (OUD). Overall, the RCORP-ETC, managed by the University of Tennessee (UT), has 157 members, affiliated with 33 organizations. Representation includes justice, education, child protection, faith, workforce development, and many others; creating an interdisciplinary approach to OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery.
TN-RCORP will build a network of more than 200 members committed to reducing the prevalence of SUD/OUD in all 76 rural TN counties. By recruiting, retaining, and upskilling mental and behavioral health providers who work with at-risk populations we can reduce morbidity and mortality caused by SUD/OUD. At the end of the 3-year award period, TN-RCORP will be self-sustaining, ensuring lasting benefit to all rural communities in TN.
The project will strengthen and expand prevention, treatment, and recovery services for rural residents to enhance their ability to access treatment and move toward recovery.
Project will target criminal justice involved individuals impacted by mental health and/or OUD/SUD that reside in Pickett and Fentress County in Upper Cumberland Region of East Tennessee. A key focal point of this project is to expand rural telehealth portals for timely access to and treatment for behavioral health services. The overarching Goal is to advance Access to quality behavioral health care services and SUD treatment and recovery services in these rural communities through a blend of Telehealth and in-person service delivery.
Hardin County Regional Health Center d.b.a Lifespan Health along with Aspell Recovery Center, Care of Savannah, Inc.(d.b.a Jack Gean Shelter), Exchange Club Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, Hardin Medical Center and Hardin County Community and Healthcare Foundation, Inc. have joined forces on a mission to empower its community to lead healthy, quality lives, one patient at a time. We want to address the significant health disparities and lack of medical access for low-income residents within our rural service area.