Bringing Alternative Services to Rural Communities

Substance misuse in rural areas is a tragic public health concern as many rural communities lack resources and access to help their community members recover. These communities lack not just basic treatment services but also the additional support services needed in recovery. This session will present three examples of programs that are overcoming these barriers.

From Missouri, the presenter will provide practical steps taken for community collaboration that implemented a medical mobile unit that brings substance misuse prevention, treatment, and recovery to rural communities. These ideas are not meant to be cookie-cutter but instead provide inspiration for others with innovative thinking. The presentation will include specific details on the efforts taken to secure federal funding, process planning, and educational moments learned during the process.

From California, the presenter will draw lessons from MCAVHN, which has served communities in rural Mendocino County for 34 years. The services at MCAVHN have adapted as necessary to provide options for persons at risk for infectious disease and those with severe co-occurring disorders. Services include Coordinated Entry for housing, behavioral health services for those with serious mental illness, a syringe services program for active users, overdose education and naloxone for family and friends of persons who use drugs, and low-barrier medication assisted treatment under one roof.

From Georgia, the presenter will provide her COINS© (Community Outreach Implementation Network Services) Model, which has been effective in combating the huge gap in services in rural Georgia. This collaborative practice model will demonstrate best practices for wrap-around care for patients with and without co-occurring conditions, focusing on care management and direct care services as key factors in the successful treatment and continued recovery of patients and their families. The community outreach component will display the need to bring communities together from education to law enforcement and even retail services to ensure that education, access to care, and understanding of the need for both prevention, intervention, and management of this epidemic are vital to the success of battling substance use and abuse faced daily in rural Georgia.