Through a 5-year, $3.7 million grant from the US Department of Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Center of Public Policy and Health (CPPH) will partner with Health Recovery Services (HRS) in Athens, Ohio to provide resources to help expand and enhance access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).
The Health Recovery Services, Inc. Medication-Assisted Treatment (HRS-MAT) project will provide FDA-approved medications for the treatment of OUD. In combination with MAT, comprehensive psychosocial services, including but not limited to counseling, recovery support services and other clinically appropriate services, will be provided to individuals with OUD.
The HRS-MAT project will also develop and implement outreach and engagement strategies to increase treatment access. The project will also build funding mechanisms and delivery models with rural and resource-limited areas/municipalities to provide treatment and facilitate long-term recovery for individuals with OUD.
The project will allow HRS to expand services in Athens, Hocking, Vinton, Gallia, Jackson, and Meigs counties in southeastern Ohio.
The area is largely rural with an average of 87 people per square mile and is in Appalachian Ohio. The Appalachian region has seen higher rates of opioid overdose deaths compared to the non-Appalachian region due in part to high prescribing rates and the addition of synthetic opioids into the system.
The project will be led by Ellen Martin, Chief Executive Officer at Health Recovery Services, Regina Smith, Chief Financial Officer at Health Recovery Services, and Deric Kenne, Professor in the College of Public Health and Interim-Director of the Center for Public Policy & Health at Kent State University.
Contact:
Center for Public Policy and Health: 330-672-7148
Health Recovery Services: 740-592-6720