Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Technical Assistance

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This notice solicits applications for Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) -Technical Assistance (TA). The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to provide technical assistance (TA) support for rural communities engaging in activities to combat opioid use disorder (OUD). The TA efforts will enhance the organizational and infrastructural capacity of multi-sector consortiums at the community, county, state, and/or regional levels. The overall goal is the reduction of morbidity and mortality associated with opioid overdoses in high-risk rural communities. The RCORP -TA award recipient will provide resources and expertise in support of the execution of the following focus areas: 1. Prevention: reducing the occurrence of OUD among new and at-risk users as well as fatal opioid-related overdoses through community and provider education and harm reduction measures including the strategic placement of overdose reversing devices, such as naloxone; 2. Treatment: implementing or expanding access to evidence-based practices for opioid addiction/OUD treatment such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including developing strategies to eliminate or reduce treatment costs to uninsured and underinsured patients; and 3. Recovery: expanding peer recovery and treatment options to help people start and stay in recovery. The RCORP-TA initiative is part of a multi-year, $130.0 million opioid focused effort by HRSA that will include: improving access to and recruitment of new substance use disorder providers; building sustainable treatment resources; increasing the use of telehealth; establishing cross-sector community partnerships; implementing new models of care, including integrated behavioral health; and providing technical assistance. The RCORP -TA award recipient will provide in-depth TA for planning and implementation to HRSA’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program award recipients. The RCORP-Planning program will seek to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with opioid overdoses in high-risk rural communities by strengthening the organizational and infrastructure capacity of multi-sector consortiums to address one or more of the focus areas of prevention, treatment, and recovery of OUD. HRSA expects to fund approximately 75 1-year planning grants in FY 2018. In FY 2019 and beyond, there will be additional funds available to provide continued support, including additional grants and National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program awards. RCORP award recipients and the communities they serve will receive tailored TA that may include, but is not limited to, the following: ? Developing and implementing a strategic plan for the provision of TA to consortiums that are funded by HRSA through the RCORP grants; ? Synthesizing resources for the development and strengthening of consortiums; HRSA-18-124 2 ? Developing training and tools to support analysis of opportunities and gaps in the workforce and service delivery (to include telehealth) associated with OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery; ? Developing training and tools to educate RCORP award recipients and facilitate their strategic plan development addressing gaps in OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery; ? Identifying and developing training and tools associated with workforce recruitment and retention targeted to rural communities to build provider capacity to address OUD issues; ? Assisting RCORP award recipients in collaborating with the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to recruit providers; ? Assisting with the identification and development of evidence-based practice models relating to OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery; ? Assisting with the identification and development of sustainability practices for consortiums; ? Assisting with the identification and development of program measures for award recipients for the RCORP grants; ? Assisting in building consortiums’ capacity and infrastructure to collect data to participate in program-wide evaluation activities; ? Educating RCORP award recipients about other available federal and non-federal funding and resources to prepare them to leverage those resources, aid coordination, and avoid duplication of program efforts; ? Educating rural stakeholders of national and state laws associated with OUD prevention,

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