Texas Gulf Bend Region Rural Communities Opioid Response Planning Program for Prevention of Childhood Neglect, Trauma & Abuse

Abstract

Project Overview. The origins, causes and impact of the opioid crises nationally and in Texas, are complex and interrelated. The effect of OUD in impoverished communities and within poor families is profound especially for the unborn, young children, and the most vulnerable members of underprivileged communities. Those most severely impacted include unborn and young children who are dependent upon an addicted parent for meeting basic needs. The TAMHSC’s Colleges of Nursing, Medicine, and Public Health seek to leverage existing partnerships, networks, academic-clinical training programs in rural counties in the Gulf Bend Region of Texas where opioid overdose deaths are rising at alarming rates and are under-reported. Project Objectives. The goal of this multi-institutional, collaborative strategic planning grant is to initiate a strategic planning process directed towards establishing Texas Gulf Bend Region Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Planning (RCORP-Planning), for supporting prevention services for the prevention of substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder (OUD) in Texas Our project aims & goals are as follows: 1. Analyze and review data sources, including community needs assessments, to understand the scope of OUD, in the Gulf Bend Region and its impact on children, and share findings with stakeholders; 2. Partner with local stakeholders to conduct detailed analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats or gaps in OUD prevention and treatment services, and access to OUD care within target counties; 3. Evaluate the extent to which child neglect, child trauma, or NAS, secondary to OUD, are present in these communities and develop a resource plan working with community stakeholders; 4. Evaluate existing OUD resources that are available, or can be leveraged, within the rural counties to expand access to prevention and treatment of OUD 5. Develop a comprehensive workforce plan for these rural areas that addresses gaps in OUD prevention, treatment, and/or recovery; 6. Identify strategies for recruiting and integrating OUD providers, including advance practice FNPs and Family Medicine Physicians into the target rural counties; 7. Develop plans for employing telehealth clinical preceptors and rural clinical sites into Texas A&M Project ECHO.