HI-RCORP

HI RCORP Core Activities

There are 15 core activities the HI-RCORP consoritum is addressing. Each activity is categorized under prevention, treatment, and recovery subcategories.

Prevention

1. Educate to improve understanding of evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery strategies for SUD/OUD, and to reduce the stigma associated with the disease.

2. Increase access to naloxone within the rural service area and provide training on overdose prevention and naloxone administration to ensure that individuals likely to respond to an overdose can take the appropriate steps to reverse an overdose.

3. Implement year-round drug take-back programs.

4. Increase and support the use of school- and community-based prevention programs that are evidence-based to prevent misuse of opioids and other substances.

5. Identify and screen individuals at risk for SUD/OUD and provide or make referrals to prevention, harm reduction, early intervention, treatment and other support services to minimize the potential for the development of SUD/OUD

Treatment

1. Screen and provide, or refer to, treatment patients with SUD/OUD who have infectious complications, including HIV, viral hepatitis and endocarditis, particularly among persons who inject drugs (PWID).

2. Recruit, train and mentor interdisciplinary teams of SUD/OUD clinical and social service providers who are trained, certified and willing to provide MAT, including both evidence-based behavioral therapy and FDA-approved pharmacotherapy.

3. Increase the number of providers and other health and social service professionals who can identify and treat SUD/OUD by providing professional development opportunities and recruitment incentives such as the National Health Service Corps (NHSC).

4. Train providers, administrative staff and other relevant stakeholders to optimize reimbursement for treatment encounters through proper coding and billing across insurance types to ensure financial sustainability of services.

5. Reduce barriers to treatment by supporting integrated treatment and recovery, including integration with behavioral health, the criminal justice system, dentistry and social services. As appropriate, provide support to pregnant women, children and other at-risk populations using approaches that minimize stigma and other barriers to care.

Recovery

1. Enhance discharge coordination for people leaving inpatient treatment facilities and/or the criminal justice system who require linkages to home and community-based services and social supports, including case management, housing, employment, food assistance, transportation, medical and behavioral health services, faith-based organizations, and sober/transitional living facilities.

2. Expand the peer work force and programming as interventionists in various settings, including hospitals, emergency departments, law enforcement departments, jails, SUD/OUD treatment programs and in the community.

3. Support the development of recovery communities, recovery coaches and recovery community organizations to expand the availability of and access to recovery support services.