Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Psychostimulant Support

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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-Psychostimulant Support (RCORP-PS). RCORP-PS will advance RCORP’s overall goal by strengthening and expanding prevention, treatment, and recovery services for rural individuals who misuse psychostimulants to enhance their ability to access treatment and move towards recovery. Over the course of a three-year period of performance, RCORP-PS award recipients will implement a set of core psychostimulant use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery activities, as outlined in Section IV.2. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, psychostimulants include methamphetamine and other illegal drugs, such as cocaine and ecstasy, as well as prescription stimulants for conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depression.1 Applicants should detail in the "Project Abstract" and “Needs Assessment” sections of the Project Narrative which psychostimulants they propose to target with the funding. Given the complex and multifaceted nature of psychostimulant use disorders, as well as the need to secure community buy-in, HRSA requires that applicants be part of broad, multi-sectoral consortia consisting of four or more separately-owned (i.e., different Employment Identification Numbers (EINs)) entities, including the applicant organization.2 A majority, or at least 50 percent, of separately owned consortium members must be physically located in HRSA-designated rural areas, as defined by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer. The target population for this award are 1) individuals who are at risk for, have been diagnosed with, and/or are in treatment and/or recovery for psychostimulant use disorders; 2) their families and/or caregivers; and 3) other community members3 who reside in HRSA-designated rural areas. 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 target population, when addressing SUD in the proposed service area. For example, a recent study found that more rural racial/ethnic minorities reported their health as fair or poor, that they were unable to see a physician in the past 12 months because of cost, and that they did not have a personal health care provider compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts.4 Examples of these populations include, but are not limited to, racial and ethnic minorities, people/persons experiencing homelessness, pregnant women, youth and adolescents, etc. The primary focus of this award is psychostimulant misuse and use disorders. However, recognizing that many individuals who misuse psychostimulants are polysubstance users, or have other co-occurring conditions, consortia may also use RCORP-PS funding to help address other SUD-related needs of the target population of individuals, families, and other community members affected by psychostimulant use disorders. 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 beyond the core/required activities outlined in Section IV.2. Finally, RCORP-PS award recipients are expected to work closely with a HRSA-funded technical assistance (TA) provider throughout the three-year period of performance. Targeted TA will be provided to each award recipient at no additional cost, and is intended to help recipients achieve desired project outcomes, sustain services, align their performance reporting/evaluative activities, implement quality improvement efforts, and overcome challenges to project implementation. HRSA will provide more information about TA support upon receipt of award.

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