MAY 5, 2024; WASHINGTON, D.C. — In March, Jerry Rushing, grant analyst for AFMC’s community resources team, was invited to present our successful grant work at the RCORP Grantee Reverse Site Visit (RSV) in Washington, D.C. The RSV brings partners, grantees, and stakeholders together to share best practices, challenges, and resources for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs. HRSA chose Jerry to present at the RSV to celebrate AFMC’s successes in SUD prevention, treatment, recovery, and sustainability.
Background: The Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC) pursues national and statewide initiatives to break down barriers to SUD treatment. Our nation is still ravaged by the effects of the opioid epidemic, with rural states like Arkansas hit the hardest.
In 2020, AFMC formed the Arkansas Rural Task Force for Opioid Response (ARTOR) as part of two federally funded grants to increase access to medication-assisted treatment services in rural communities. ARTOR consists of community-based organizations at the forefront of SUD treatment and recovery, including clinics, health systems, state departments, and peer community centers.
AFMC worked with the ARTOR consortium to complete five goals for this grant:
- Hand out training, referral documents, and helpful guides regarding SUD.
- Increase SUD medication-assisted treatment services in clinics across Arkansas.
- Talk with and encourage communities, families, and caregivers to use SUD recovery best practices based on proven research.
- Provide community organizations with materials to increase prevention activities and SUD treatment.
- Encourage doctors to provide treatment services for pregnant and postpartum women who are at risk for developing SUD.
ARTOR distributed prevention, treatment, and recovery resources throughout five northeast Arkansas counties. As a result of our work, over 1600 individuals received medication-assisted treatment for SUD. AFMC and our partners sent out Narcan nasal sprays, Naloxbox opioid rescue kits, and ONEboxes to Arkansas school districts, churches, and motels.
Naloxboxes included medication, emergency contact information, and additional instructional information inside. ONEboxes were portable Naloxone kits with a 5-minute instructional video that played in English and Spanish when a user opened the box. ONEboxes also included personal protective equipment and additional instructions for administering Narcan to the person experiencing an overdose.
AFMC will continue researching and guiding initiatives that support the treatment and recovery of individuals struggling with SUD.
Visit rcorp.afmc.org to learn more about our RCORP work in Arkansas and check out our other healthcare solutions at afmc.org.
This article 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 $1,000,000.00 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. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
