Founded in 1982, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration is the lead federal agency responsible for monitoring and improving historically scarce healthcare services for the roughly 60 million people living in rural areas where access to medical services is often limited.
Like the CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and FDA (The Food and Drug Administration), HRSA is overseen and funded by the US. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HRSA works across a wide range of programs to improve health care access and quality, promote best practices, and eliminate health disparities. For example, HRSA works closely with the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Delta Regional Authority, the Denali Commission, and the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission to improve service delivery and reduce health disparities. Another example: Health centers funded by HRSA deliver primary and preventive care to over 16 million low-income patients in every state as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. possessions in the Pacific.
Dedicated to Rural Health
Provisional data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2023. Unfortunately, the highest rates of overdose-related deaths were recorded in rural areas.
To reduce the morbidity and mortality of Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and Opioid Use Disorders (OUDs) in rural communities, HRSA launched the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) in 2018. RCORP has since come to represent the largest concentrated rural investment in HRSA’s history. To strengthen and expand prevention, treatment, and recovery services in high-risk rural communities, RCORP funds a variety of cooperative activities and agreements including:
- RCORP–Behavioral Health Care Support which aims to improve the quality and sustainability of behavioral healthcare services in rural communities, including evidence-based and trauma-informed treatment for Substance Use Disorders.
- RCORP-TA which supports RCORP grantees in their efforts to increase access to behavioral health services as well as SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services in rural communities.
- RCORP-Overdose Response which addresses the immediate needs in rural areas for SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
- RCORP-Evaluation which documents RCORP’s impact and develops evaluation tools and resources to inform future rural health initiatives in rural communities.
- RCORP-Impact which improves access to integrated and coordinated treatment and recovery services that promote long-term, sustained recovery from SUDs and OUDs.
- RCORP-Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome which seeks to reduce the incidence and impact of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in rural communities.
- Rural Health Information Hub which serves as an information portal to help rural communities and other rural stakeholders access healthcare programs, funding, and research. To subscribe to the RHI Hub weekly newsletter, click here.
RCORP Rural Centers of Excellence
Last but hardly least, HRSA funds three RCORP-Rural Centers of Excellence on SUDs to support the identification, translation, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based programs and best practices related to the treatment and prevention of SUDs in rural communities.
Under HRSA/RCORP direction, the centers are busy addressing the current opioid crisis while developing new ways of combating any similar healthcare crises in the future. Each of the three RCOEs has its own focus area, as described below.
The RCORP Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Prevention at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York focuses on enhancing the integration of SUD/OUD into primary care practices and adapting evidence-based stigma reduction workshops at the individual, provider, and community levels.
The RCORP Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Treatment at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont works to develop provider training and to enhance access to SUD/OUD services, including medication-assisted treatment and other services to treat co-occurring behavioral health disorders.
The RCORP Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Recovery at the Fletcher Group in London, Kentucky which works to research and expand access to high-quality, evidence-based recovery housing and recovery support services.
Want To See the RCOE’s In Action?
Many examples of the evidence-based resources created and disseminated by the HRSA-funded RCORP Rural Centers of Excellence on SUDs can be seen at the new Rural SUD Info Center! Check it out by clicking here.
Register Now for HRSA’s September 25 Webinar
HRSA’s Improving Access to Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Support webinar Tuesday, September 25 at 1:00 pm EST will highlight HRSA’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to behavioral health services throughout America, including rural and medically underserved communities.
Participants will include grantees of the Rural Community Opioid Response Program, the Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Recovery, and the RCORP-Planning and RCORP-Implementation programs.
During the one-hour webinar the following esteemed presenters will explain how community principles are being applied to improve access to recovery support.
- Patsy Cunningham (MA, LCPC) Behavioral Health Advisor, HRSA’s Office of Special Health Initiatives
- Milena Stott of the RCORP Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Recovery at the Fletcher Group
- Gail Bullard of the RCORP Planning and RCORP-Implementation Program at Ferris State University
Join Us, Won’t You?
Register now for the September 25 webinar by clicking here.
This web page is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3.3 million with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.
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