loading...

About A-ROC

The Lake Cumberland Area Response to Opioids in Rural Communities (A-ROC) Consortium was created in May 2019, as a result of a multi-year opioid-focused initiative led by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). A-ROC strives to strengthen and expand substance use disorder / opioid use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery service delivery within the 10-county Lake Cumberland region. By expanding the options for SUD/OUD services across the care spectrum, A-ROC is helping rural residents access treatment and move towards recovery.

Core members of the A-ROC Consortium have over 200 years combined experience in providing quality services that improve the lives of Lake Cumberland-area residents. These members include lead agency, Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency, Lake Cumberland District Health Department, Lake Cumberland Area Development District and Adanta. Other partners include local health-related partners, social service providers, business leaders, law enforcement and those directly affected by substance use disorder.

Consortium Partners

Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency
Lake Cumberland Area Development District
Lake Cumberland District Health Department
ADANTA

Priorities

Priority One

Increase community education to reduce the stigma related to SUD/OUD

Priority One

Increase the number of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) providers in our region

Priority One

Increase recovery options available to Lake Cumberland-area residents

Who We Serve

Through a comprehensive approach, A-ROC is designed to reach all those that have been impacted by the opioid crisis. We serve a 10-county area in south central Kentucky, including the communities of Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Taylor and Wayne counties.
Individuals

who are at risk for, have been diagnosed with, and/or are in treatment and/or recovery for OUD

Families and/or Caregivers

of individuals who are at risk for, have been diagnosed with, and/or are in treatment and/or recovery for OUD

Community member partners

located in HRSA-designated rural areas, as defined by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer.

Get Help Now

Core Activities

The A-ROC Consortium uses evidence-based programs to increase SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery service delivery. Below are the core activities the consortium is actively engaged in to achieve its goals. To learn more about how you can benefit from or be part of these activities, please contact us today. Together, we can make a difference.
Prevention
Treatment
Recovery
  1. Provide education to improve family members’, caregivers’ and the public’s understanding of evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies for SUD/OUD, and to reduce stigma associated with the disease.
  2. Increase access to naloxone within our service area and provide training on overdose prevention and naloxone administration to ensure that individuals likely to respond to an overdose can take the appropriate steps to reverse an overdose.
  3. Implement year-round drug take-back programs.
  4. Increase and support the use of school- and community-based prevention programs that are evidence-based to prevent misuse of opioids and other substances.
  5. Identify and screen individuals at risk for SUD/OUD and provide or make referrals to prevention, harm reduction, early intervention, treatment, and other support services to minimize the potential for the development of SUD/OUD.
  1. Provide education to improve family members’, caregivers’ and the public’s understanding of evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies for SUD/OUD, and to reduce stigma associated with the disease.
  2. Increase access to naloxone within our service area and provide training on overdose prevention and naloxone administration to ensure that individuals likely to respond to an overdose can take the appropriate steps to reverse an overdose.
  3. Implement year-round drug take-back programs.
  4. Increase and support the use of school- and community-based prevention programs that are evidence-based to prevent misuse of opioids and other substances.
  5. Identify and screen individuals at risk for SUD/OUD and provide or make referrals to prevention, harm reduction, early intervention, treatment, and other support services to minimize the potential for the development of SUD/OUD.
  1. Screen and provide, or refer to, treatment patients with SUD/OUD who have infectious complications, including HIV, viral hepatitis, and endocarditis, particularly among PWID.
  2. Recruit, train, and mentor interdisciplinary teams of SUD/OUD clinical and social service providers who are trained, certified, and willing to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including both evidence-based behavioral therapy and FDA-approved pharmacotherapy.
  3. Increase the number of providers and other health and social service professionals who are able to identify and treat SUD/OUD by providing professional development opportunities and recruitment incentives.
  4. Reduce barriers to treatment by supporting integrated treatment and recovery, including integration with behavioral health, the criminal justice system, dentistry, and social services. As appropriate, provide support to pregnant women, children, and other at-risk populations using approaches that minimize stigma and other barriers to care.
  5. Strengthen collaboration with law enforcement and first responders to enhance their capability of responding and/or providing emergency treatment to those with SUD/OUD.
  6. Train providers, administrative staff, and other relevant stakeholders to optimize reimbursement for treatment encounters through proper coding and billing across insurance types to ensure financial sustainability of services.
  7. Enable individuals, families, and caregivers to find, access, and navigate evidence-based, affordable treatments for SUD/OUD, as well as home- and community-based services and social supports.
  1. Enhance discharge coordination for people leaving inpatient treatment facilities and/or the criminal justice system who require linkages to home and community-based services and social supports, including case management, housing, employment, food assistance, transportation, medical and behavioral health services, faith-based organizations, and sober/transitional living facilities.
  2. Expand peer workforce and programming as interventionists in various settings, including hospitals, emergency departments, law enforcement departments, jails, SUD/OUD treatment programs, and in the community.
  3. Support the development of recovery communities, recovery coaches, and recovery community organizations to expand the availability of and access to recovery support services.

Why It's Important

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency. Rural providers and communities in particular face a number of challenges in providing and accessing SUD/OUD services. The national shortage of providers who administer medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including waivered providers who prescribe buprenorphine, is a critical issue. More than half of rural counties still lack physicians with a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. In addition to workforce shortages, rural communities face barriers such as stigma, transportation, and costs associated with setting up MAT and other SUD/OUD services.

Rural opioid users are more likely than their urban counterparts to have socioeconomic vulnerabilities, including limited educational attainment, poor health status, lack of health insurance, and low income, which may further limit their abilities to access treatment. The A-ROC Consortium serves as a firm foundation in a regional framework to bring rural communities in south central Kentucky back from the grips of the opioid epidemic.

Contact Us