Last Updated on May 19, 2019 by cassnetwork
SOURCE: News release from Health Resources and Services Administration
Four County Counseling Center in Logansport is a recipient of a $200,000 planning grant in the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP).
The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy recently awarded $24 million for the second round planning grants. Recipients across 40 states will receive $200,000 for one year to formalize partnerships with local stakeholders, conduct needs assessments, and develop plans to implement and sustain substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), prevention, treatment, and recovery interventions.
Other organizations in Indiana each receiving $200,000 awards are located in Vincennes, South Bend, Muncie, Terre Haute and Bloomington.
“RCORP-Planning is part of a multi-year initiative by HRSA to support treatment for and prevention of SUD/OUD,” said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas, MS, Ph.D. “The goal is to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the diseases in high-risk rural communities.”
“Rural communities continue to face several challenges in accessing SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services,” said Associate Administrator for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Tom Morris. “Over half of rural counties nationwide 
lack a provider who is waivered to prescribe buprenorphine, and on average, rural opioid users are more likely to be uninsured, less educated, and lower income (PDF – 570 KB) than their urban counterparts.”
Rural communities also face workforce shortages, geographic barriers, limited treatment infrastructure, and stigma associated with SUD/OUD.
To review a complete list of all grant recipients www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/rcorp/planning/awards.
For more information about the RCORP initiative, please contact Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
To learn more about how HRSA is addressing the opioid epidemic, visit https://www.hrsa.gov/opioids.