Mercer University Awards Health Resource Services Administration Grant to Georgia Council on Substance Abuse
Mercer University and the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse to Develop Local, Rural Communities of Recovery
Recovery Communities Targeted for Polk, Gordon, Gilmer, and Fannin Counties
Tucker, GA – The grant, funded by Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA), is under the direction of Mercer University’s Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities (CRHDD). This project serves the communities of Polk, Gordon, Gilmer, and Fannin Counties. The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse (GCSA) will provide education, training, and technical assistance to help develop local, rural communities of recovery. GCSA will work together with CRHHD to successfully meet and/or exceed the deliverables of this federal HRSA grant.
Key Activities include:
Recovery Support:
- 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.
- 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.
- Support the development of recovery communities, recovery coaches, and recovery community organizations to expand the availability of and access to recovery support services.
Treatment:
- Strengthen collaboration with law enforcement and first responders to enhance their capability of responding and/or providing emergency treatment to those with SUD/OUD.
- 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.
Through this subaward, GCSA continues to successfully pursue its mission “to increase the impact of recovery in Georgia’s communities through training, education, advocacy and peer recovery support services.” “The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse is excited to partner with Mercer University to strengthen coordination of services and supports for people in rural communities seeking or in recovery,” said Neil Campbell, Georgia Council on Substance Abuse Executive Director.
“Working together, and with local community stakeholders, the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse and Mercer University will break stigma, build connections making communities stronger, support an enhanced workforce, while supporting peers and their families. Addiction is real, but, recovery is, also, real and it occurs in communities,” said Jeff Breedlove, Chief of Policy and Communications Georgia Council on Substance Abuse.
