Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Implementation

The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is a multi-year initiative by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in high risk rural communities. This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under RCORP-Implementation. This funding opportunity, RCORP-Implementation, will advance RCORP’s overall goal by strengthening and expanding SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services to enhance rural residents’ ability to access treatment and move towards recovery. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a five-point Strategy to Combat Opioid Abuse, Misuse, and Overdose, which outlines concrete steps local communities can take to address the opioid epidemic. In alignment with the HHS Five-Point Strategy, and as part of the RCORP initiative, RCORP-Implementation award recipients will implement a set of core SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery activities, as outlined in Section IV.2. These activities are grounded in evidence-based or promising practice models, and applicants are encouraged to tailor these models to address the unique needs of their communities. Given the complex and multifaceted nature of SUD/OUD, as well as the need to secure community buy-in and generate adequate patient volume to sustain services, HRSA requires that applicants be part of broad, multi-sectoral consortia. For the purposes of RCORP-Implementation, a consortium is an organizational arrangement among four or more separately owned domestic public or private entities, including the applicant organization, with established working relationships. The entities, including the applicant organization, must all have different Employment Identification Numbers (EINs).1 Consortia should be able to operationalize their proposed work plans immediately upon receipt of award. The target population for this grant are: 1) individuals who are at risk for, have been diagnosed with, and/or are in treatment and/or recovery for OUD; 2) their families and/or caregivers; and 3) other community members who reside in HRSA-designated rural areas, as defined by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer. The primary focus of the grant is OUD. However, recognizing that many individuals with OUD are polysubstance users, or have other co-occurring conditions, consortia may address other SUD-related needs of the target population. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate a rise in drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulant (e.g., methamphetamine) misuse in rural communities, with synthetic opioids playing an increased role in those deaths.2 If the needs and capabilities exist, applicants may also propose additional activities beyond  the core/required activities that will strengthen their consortium’s capacity to combat methamphetamine misuse in their communities. Applicants should link any additional activities they propose to the needs of their target population and service area. Please note that no competitive advantage, funding priority, or preference is associated with proposing activities that address other SUDs, including methamphetamine misuse. HRSA expects that consortia funded by RCORP-Implementation will sustain services during and beyond the period of performance. Over the course of the three-year period of performance, RCORP-Implementation award recipients will complete a detailed plan for sustaining their consortium and SUD/OUD services beyond the RCORP-Implementation period of performance. Finally, RCORP-Implementation award recipients are expected to work closely with a HRSA-funded technical assistance (TA) provider throughout the three-year period of performance. Targeted TA is provided to each award recipient at no additional cost, and is intended to help recipients achieve desired project outcomes, sustain services, and overcome challenges to project implementation. HRSA will provide more information about TA support upon receipt of award.

Eligible applicants include all domestic public or private, non-profit or for-profit entities, including faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations. The applicant organization may be located in an urban or rural area and should have the staffing and infrastructure necessary to oversee program activities, serve as the fiscal agent for the award, and ensure that local control for the award is vested in the targeted rural communities. All activities supported by RCORP-Implementation must exclusively occur in HRSA-designated rural counties or rural census tracts in urban counties, as defined by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer. In general, multiple applications associated with the same DUNS number and/or EIN are not allowable. However, HRSA recognizes a growing trend towards greater consolidation within the rural health care industry and the possibility that multiple organizations with the same EIN and/or DUNS number could be located in different rural service areas that have a need for SUD/OUD services. Please refer to Attachment 8 for information on how to request an exception to this policy.

Allison Hutchings

(301)945-9819