Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Medication Assisted Treatment Access

The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is a multi-year HRSA initiative aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in rural communities. This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the RCORP-Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Access Program. RCORP-MAT Access will advance RCORP’s overall goal by improving access to and quality of MAT and supportive services in rural communities. The purpose of this program is to improve health care in rural areas by establishing new MAT access points and increasing the capacity for sustainable MAT service provision in rural areas. This program is intended to support MAT to treat OUD, however HRSA encourages award recipients to also target alcohol use disorder (AUD) with MAT if the need exists. Over the course of the three-year period of performance, RCORP-MAT Access recipients will implement activities that are aligned with the following overarching program goals: Goal 1 - Establish new MAT access points to provide both medications and supportive services to individuals with OUD and/or AUD in rural communities; Goal 2 - Enhance the MAT workforce through recruitment, training, and the development of peer mentorship networks; Goal 3 - Build community capacity and infrastructure to support more effective and efficient MAT service provision; and, Goal 4 - Ensure sustainability of the new MAT access points through improved billing and coding, as well as enrollment of eligible individuals into health insurance. For the purposes of this NOFO, “MAT access” includes affordability, accessibility, acceptability, and availability of MAT treatment and supportive services for rural individuals who reside in the rural areas as defined by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer. Additionally, HRSA defines MAT as the use of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a “whole-person” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder (AUD). The target population for RCORP–MAT Access includes: • Individuals living in rural communities who are at risk for OUD and/or AUD; • Individuals living in rural communities who are diagnosed with OUD and/or AUD; • Individuals living in rural communities who are in treatment and/or recovery for OUD and/or AUD; • Their families and/or caregivers; and • Impacted community members3 who reside in the rural target service area. Applicants are encouraged to include populations that have historically suffered from poorer health outcomes, health disparities, and other inequities as compared to the rest of the population. Examples of these populations include, but are not limited to: racial and ethnic minorities, people who are pregnant, adolescents and youth, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, etc.

Eligible applicants include all domestic public or private, non-profit and for-profit, entities. In addition to the 50 U.S. states, organizations in the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated State of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau may apply. Tribes and tribal organizations are eligible

Anna Swanson

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