Government
Warren County Health Department Leads New Rural Communities Grant to Address Substance Use
Warren County Health Department is expected to receive $600,000 over the life of this grant.
The Warren County Health Department and Warren County Government hosted a kick-off meeting on March 26th for the federal Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Impact Grant. Staff from the Wilson County Substance Prevention Coalition (WCSPC) who are leading this regional effort came to Warren County to introduce the program to local partners and to get their input on how the program can best be implemented here.
WCSPC staff in attendance were Jeff Wilson, Executive Director; Pamela Letchworth, Yolanda Outlaw, and Cordain Dancy.
Local partners participating in the meeting included representatives from Freedom House Recovery Center, Trillium Health Resources, Warrenton Church of God, Warren County Schools, Emergency Services, Health Department, Administration/Finance Office, Sheriff’s Office/Detention Center, Auger Communications, and Hope Restorative Solutions.
The Warren County Health Department is a Network member in the Wilson County Substance Prevention Coalition’s NEW3 Impact – Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson, Warren, Wayne – Project. NEW3 Impact will improve access to integrated, coordinated treatment and recovery services for substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder, in rural areas of Eastern North Carolina. NEW3 Impact supports HRSA’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) – Impact.
The five counties taking part in this grant represent a diversity of sectors, including primary care, pharmacy, public health, workforce, local government, faith-based, law enforcement, tribal, and substance use. Collectively, 77% of Network members reside within HRSA-designated rural areas. As Network members, we will:
- Provide services exclusively in the target rural service areas of Warren County, Wilson County, Bailey Township (Nash County), Mount Olive/Brogden Township (Wayne County), and eastern/southeastern Edgecombe County.
- Commit to regularly engage and visit the target rural service areas to demonstrate strong connections with the communities.
- Participate in regular Network meetings, which will take place at least quarterly.
- Coordinate with other Network members on NEW3 Impact activities. In addition to committing to NEW3 Impact activities we are individually responsible for as outlined in the work plan, we will work with all members to:
- Distribute OneBoxes to increase access to emergency treatment.
- Distribute fentanyl and xylazine testing strips to address emerging threats.
- Participate in the RCORP Data Sharing Group, led by Pamela Letchworth, and share aggregate data for performance reporting to HRSA.
- Develop approaches to ensure continuity of operations to minimize the impact of potential service disruptions such as staffing changes, clinician turnover, public health emergencies, and severe weather.
- Work together to develop a sustainability plan to maintain services after the project ends.
The duration of the NEW3 Impact Project is 4 years. The total award is $2,997,556 and Warren County Health Department is expected to receive $600,000 over the life of this grant.