Local organization poised to address risks for opioid misuse in Eastern Oregon
By Paul Hall on Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories
LA GRANDE – (Information provided by Northeast Oregon Network) Local nonprofit Northeast Oregon Network (NEON) has been notified of a funding award from the Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Communities Opioid Response Program in the amount of $1,000,000 for 3 years, from September 1, 2021 through August 31, 2024.
Removing Community Risks for Opioid Misuse in Eastern Oregon is a collaborative project with an overall goal of reducing the misuse of opioids by at-risk individuals, promoting stronger ties between service sectors, and providing culturally responsive care through the support of Traditional Health Workers (THWs), including Community Health Workers and Peers. This project will serve seven rural and frontier counties in Eastern Oregon: Baker, Grant, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, and Wallowa.
The intervention will target individuals both at risk for Substance or Opioid Use Disorder (SUD/OUD) as identified by the Opioid Risk Tool and those who have a history of opioid misuse. Individuals may be enrolled in the program who face a complex set of barriers, including complex medical issues, behavioral health needs, homelessness or housing insecurity, food insecurity, and other challenges in addition to opioid misuse risk or treatment needs. The project will focus on reaching community members at key stages of their health journeys: when they are prescribed or weaned off opioids, when they are released from jail, and when they are referred to or return from treatment programs.
THWs are an ideal workforce to reach these at-risk populations and keep them connected, as they are hired from the populations they serve – often speaking the languages of communities who have experienced health disparities – and are provided with training and support. Their primary function is patient engagement and ongoing linkage and support, including building relationships with individuals and doing home visits to assess their needs. THWs provide critical connection to the health system and can encourage compliance with treatment plans.
This project will strengthen existing ties and build new relationships among community-based prevention coalitions, law enforcement, and recovery communities to enhance the project. These collaborations will result in the provision of drug takeback and linguistically and culturally appropriate prevention and recovery programming across the project service area. NEON will build the sustainability of project services and partnerships by certifying new THWs and working to integrate them into opioid misuse care teams and will work to promote and educate organizations on billing procedures with the goal of securing long-term and sustainable THW care for the target population and the region as a whole.
