This brief is part of a series highlighting partnership projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic project; it discusses the Upper Cumberland Human Resources Agency in Tennessee, and Project Lazarus in North Carolina.
This Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) document on harm reduction describes the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project. The RROE project aims to serve residents with substance use disorder (SUD); it supports 21 rural sites across the United States in order to develop or enhance efforts to do the following tasks: strengthen epidemiologic surveillance and public health data infrastructure; implement effective community-level opioid overdose prevention activities; and establish or enhance public safety, public health, and behavioral health collaborations. The document notes that sites may also expand peer recovery and recovery support services that help people start and continue with recovery. Another project focus is to make more efficient use of limited resources. The two partnerships featured in this brief are the Upper Cumberland Human Resources Agency (UCHRA) in Tennessee, and Project Lazarus in North Carolina. The focus of the document is Engaging the Local Business Community. The UCRA received grant funding for its recovery-to-work program, to hire a full-time employment specialist that will focus on three main goals: helping individuals find employment; identifying recovery-friendly businesses in the community; and supporting businesses that are willing to hire individuals in recovery. Project Lazarus’s RROE project focuses on Wilkes County, North Carolina; it is a non-profit organization that works on drug abuse prevention, intervention, and recovery, and educates local community members on all aspects of SUDs. Lessons learned include the importance of the following: understanding business needs and interests; helping employers understand the benefits of a recovery-friendly workplace; and thinking creatively about how businesses can support SUD efforts.