Appalachian Rural Opioid Planning Consortium Community Assessment & Planning Project
The Appalachian Rural Opioid Planning Consortium (Consortium) was formed to conduct assessment and planning for service enhancement and development through a grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provided to Prestera Center in partnership with Westbrook Health Services, Marshall University, local county coalition members, and Family Resource Network organizational partners. The goal of the Consortium is to reduce opioid morbidity and mortality in rural communities in West Virginia (WV) by increasing the capacity to implement evidenced based prevention, treatment, and recovery services for those affected by opioid use disorders (OUD). The group will work to create a regional Consortium dedicated to the prevention of opioid misuse and OUD, assisting individuals and families in accessing services, and continuing support for recovery from opioid use and substance use disorders. The Appalachian Rural Opioid Planning Consortium’s Mission is to provide person-centered, culturally competent prevention, treatment, and recovery services utilizing evidence-based practices in order to assist individuals affected by opioid use disorders. The populations of focus for planning and service priority setting included at-risk and vulnerable populations of adults (18 and older), including pregnant and parenting women, veterans, and LGBTQ individuals residing in Calhoun, Jackson, Mason, Ritchie and Roane Counties in WV. Additional objectives of the Consortium include: conducting a need and resource assessment to determine the current and preferred state of the prevention, treatment, and recovery service systems to inform planning; developing strategic plans to increase workforce capacity and implement evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery services for those affected by OUD; and creating a regional Consortium to facilitate implementation of evidence based prevention, treatment, and recovery services for those affected by OUD. Project years: 2019-2020
FY 2019 RCORP Planning Needs Assessment
Fresh Start
Fresh Start is a diversion program that is a comprehensive opioid use disorder treatment program utilizing a region-specific interagency approach. The SRDRC provides intensive evidence-based outpatient substance abuse treatment to offenders. The Fresh Start program is designed to improve quality of life through community connectedness and prevent further deteriorations in quality of life through harm reduction services and offer opportunities for real-life application of treatment principles. Opportunities afforded by Fresh Start are community mentoring, interagency teamwork, credit attainment through the local community college, apprentice-based life skill development, life enrichment, craftsmanship, and artisanship.
- Evaluation- The Center is the evaluator for this project. A report on outcomes and services is produced twice a year.
- Population-Adults with charges related to substance use.
- Counties Covered-Boone (Initially), Lincoln, Logan and Mingo
- Agency Partners- Logan County Commission and the Southwestern Regional Day Report Center
Regional Partnership Grants (RPG)
The Regional Partnership Grants provide services to improve the well-being of children and families impacted by substance use disorders. The grants implement wraparound processes, which use intense case-management techniques to ensure that each family member and the family as a whole receive tailored services to overcome trauma, recover from substance use disorder, and thrive. The primary objective of this project is to serve children and their families so that children overcome their trauma, parents recover from substance use disorder, and the family is strengthened to become a unified, happy, and healthy family.
- Evaluation-Marshall University is the evaluator for this project. It conducts both a national cross site and local evaluation. A fidelity review is also being conducted to ensure the wrap around process is being followed.
- Population-Children age (0-11 years old) at risk of being removed from their home due a family member being impacted by substance use/misuse.
- Counties Covered-Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Kanawha, Boone, Raleigh and Wyoming
- Agency Partners-Bureau for Social Services, Bureau of Behavioral Health, Prestera, Children’s Home Society, FMRS, and Southern Highlands.
- Project Staff: Bretlyn Smith
View a snapshot report of enrolled families here.
Supporting Children and Families in West Virginia 2019-2020: Foster Care, Kinship, and Adoptive Parents and Caregivers in West Virginia
In 2019, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR) Bureau for Children and Families (BCF) and the West Virginia Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Parents Network, which is funded by the West Virginia Council of Churches through a grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, partnered with staff and faculty from Marshall University to develop and conduct a survey with foster, kinship, and adoptive parents and caregivers in the state. The purpose of this survey was to examine experiences, supports, trainings, and services, as well as other strengths and needs of the parents and caregivers within the West Virginia (WV) child welfare system to discover opportunities to improve services to aid in the retention of parents and caregivers. Review the completed report here.
In 2022, Marshall University’s Center of Excellence for Recovery will again partner with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR) Bureau for Supportive Services (BSS) to further refine and conduct a survey with foster, kinship, and adoptive parents and caregivers in the state. The purpose of this survey will be to examine experiences, supports, trainings, and services, as well as other strengths and needs of the parents and caregivers within the West Virginia (WV) child welfare system to discover opportunities to improve services to youth and families.
Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success Statewide Project Evaluation
The Center is contracted by the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources Bureau for Behavioral Health to evaluate the West Virginia Strategic Prevention Framework, Partnerships for Success (SPF PFS) project. The goal of SPF PFS is to prevent and reduce underage drinking, intravenous drug use, and marijuana use of high-risk students aged 9-20 years. The SPF PFS is funded by a five-year federal grant received by the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources Bureau for Behavioral Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). The SPF PFS is carried out by six regional prevention lead organizations covering all WV counties. The population of focus for PFS is students aged 9-20 who are at higher risk or showing early signs of substance use disorder (SUD), including those in foster care, living in poverty, or showing serious emotional disturbance (SED) or serious mental illness (SMI). The focus areas of this grant are: 1) increasing access to culturally and age-appropriate evidence-based practices (EBPs) through 2) building capacity to make data-informed decisions and selecting the most appropriate prevention services to meet the needs of high-need communities and high-risk populations of youth while 3) integrating selective and indicated prevention interventions into local youth-serving systems. Final reports for two SPF PFS statewdie assessment projects completed in 2021 are provided below. Project years: 2018-2023
Youth Focus Group Report3172022Final
PreventionOrgSurveyReportFinal4132022
Strategic Prevention Framework Prescription Drug Statewide Project: Evaluation and Provider Education
The Center is contracted by the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources Bureau for Behavioral Health to evaluate the Strategic Prevention Framework Prescription Drug (SPF Rx) grant from SAMHSA. The Marshall University evaluation team joined the project in late 2017. The goals of the project include the following. Goal 1. Enhance WV SPF-based prevention infrastructure to address prescription drug misuse among youth (ages 12-17) and adults (ages 18 and older). Goal 2. Prevent and reduce prescription drug and illicit opioid misuse and abuse.
- Evaluation, Training and Technical Assistance – The Center is the evaluator for this project and also provides training and technical assistance.
- Counties Covered-Carried out by six regional prevention lead organizations covering all WV counties.
- Population – Youth (ages 12-17) and adults (ages 18 and older).
- Agency Partners- West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Bureaus for Behavioral Health (BBH), Children and Families (BCF) and Marshall faculty from Psychology, Pharmacology, Geography and Biomedical Science Departments.
- Project years: 2017-2026.
Final Report: SPF Rx Needs Assessment
Prescription Drug Misuse Risk and Protective Factors table
Shield Project
The mission of the PEP Shield Project is to develop and implement a comprehensive data-driven coordinated plan to address challenges resulting from the opioid crisis that impact youth, their families and community safety in Cabell County. Shield will reduce traumatic stress for youth impacted by opioid use disorder by integrating evidence-based prevention, intervention, diversion, and problem identification and treatment services for children and their families with already existing education, justice, and treatment service systems, and by increasing the capacity of community organizations to better identify and serve youth and families suffering from traumatic stress due to opioids. Agency partners include: United Way of the River Cities, members of the PEP Coalition and Wayne County Prevention Coalition. A link to the need and resource assessment can be found below. Project years: 2020-2023