Expanding Rural Access to Medication Assisted Treatment During COVID-19 and Other Adverse Conditions

In September 2019, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) funded 12 projects in rural service areas across the country through a new initiative called the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Medication Assisted Treatment Expansion (RCORP-MAT Expansion). The RCORP-MAT Expansion program aimed to increase the number of access points where individuals living in rural communities with opioid use disorder (OUD) could receive evidence-based treatment. The RCORP-MAT Expansion program supported the establishment and/or expansion of MAT in eligible rural hospitals, clinics, and tribal organizations.

Less than six months into RCORP-MAT Expansion’s three-year project period, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to halt progress. RCORP-MAT Expansion projects were not immune to the challenges of COVID-19, including shifting community priorities, staff illness and turnover, and lack of previously accessible resources. Never the less, the 12 RCORP-MAT Expansion projects continued to serve their rural communities with evidence-based treatment. In fact, all 12 RCORP-MAT Expansion projects increased the number of unduplicated patients who were receiving MAT and increased personnel implementing substance use disorder/OUD services by at least 1.0 FTE in the first year of the program. The projects continued to grow and today are a thriving part of their communities, collaborating with local law enforcement, social service agencies, court systems, school districts, and other community organizations to better serve their patient population. This session will reveal the lessons learned as the RCORP-MAT Expansion projects persevered and ultimately thrived in adverse conditions.