Nash UNC Receives Million Dollar Grant to Support Substance Use Disorders in Two Local Communities 

Nash UNC Health Care has recently been selected as a recipient of a $1 million dollar federal grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) in conjunction with their Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP).

According to HRSA, the purpose of this grant is aimed at strengthening and expanding prevention, treatment, and recovery services in rural areas for substance use and opioid use disorders.

“We are overjoyed to be the recipients of the HRSA/RCORP Implementation grant, which consists of $1,000,000 to support our work with community partners over the next 3 years. We were among 78 awardees across 35 states and 2 territories,” said Yolanda Outlaw, MSW, LCSW, Transitional Care Social Worker, Clinical Supervisor.

According to Outlaw, this grant will specifically help the Town of Bailey and all of Warren County, including the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe by creating programs for individuals with substance use disorders and expanding access to care. These areas were selected based on predetermined criteria from the federal government.

“Currently the citizens of Bailey have to travel outside of the county to receive care for substance use disorders. With this grant and the partnerships between Nash UNC, Bailey Pharmacy, Bailey Sheriff’s Department, EMS and police departments, we can establish programs where these citizens can receive care closer to home and find community support around their treatment and recovery,” said Outlaw.

Outlaw states there are three things this program needed to provide in order to receive this grant—the proposed program matches the needs of the area, that there is room for expansion and growth of the program, and that the program can prove to be sustainable beyond the three years the grant allows.

“This grant benefits the community by expanding access to treatment and prevention, as well as providing education about these disorders, and addressing stigmas around the disorders,” said Outlaw. “Substance use is a family affair, a community affair—it touches everyone. Hence the holistic approach to whom we address for prevention, recovery, harm reduction and evidence-based treatment.”

For the past five years, Nash UNC has partnered with Nash County and local providers to coordinate a response to substance misuse through the Coalition for Addiction Recovery and Education (CARE). As part of that initiative, Nash UNC recently launched Medication-Assisted Treatment in the Emergency Department, which treats substance use disorders and helps patients sustain recovery. The new HRSA grant will serve as a significant resource to directly support the ongoing collaboration and effort to fight substance misuse in the community.

Outlaw says that her team, Nash UNC Health Care and several community partners will continue to work hard on this issue.

“As I reflect on what we’ve achieved, I remain impressed and excited about the work, the passion, the vast knowledge and dynamic partnerships we have cultivated. Over the next three years, we have our work cut out for us to make a monumental impact on our community for harm reduction, prevention, recovery and education,” said Outlaw.