This brief by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) discusses the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project, co-funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the State Justice Institute and highlights two participating programs.
This brief highlights programs that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project, co-funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the State Justice Institute. Law enforcement officers, emergency medical services professionals, and firefighters are on the front lines responding to the effects of the opioid epidemic, often arriving on the scene of an overdose or calls for services involving individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) or mental health problems. In many communities, when law enforcement responds to such calls, the individuals involved must be transported and booked into the jail, which can lead to issues, such as high jail populations and individuals not receiving services needed to address their behavioral health needs. In response, communities all over the country are implementing law enforcement- and first responder-led diversion efforts to redirect individuals with SUD, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorders away from jail and the criminal justice system and into the care of community-based treatment programs. RROE supports 21 rural sites across the country to develop or enhance efforts to 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. Sites may also expand peer recovery and recovery support services that help people start and stay in recovery. Program sites discussed are Arkansas Rural Health Partnership, Inc., and St. Mary’s Regional Health Center in Minnesota.