Overview
UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence was established in 2019 as one of three Rural Centers of Excellence (RCOEs) on substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States. It is funded by the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), an initiative of the Health Resources and Services Administration that aims to reduce morbidity and mortality related to SUD, including opioid use disorder (OUD), in rural areas.
The three RCOEs are working to build and share a foundation of evidence-based practices to address SUD in rural communities. While our center is focusing on prevention, the University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction (CORA) is focusing on treatment, and the Fletcher Group center on recovery. Through community-based pilot projects, the centers are collaborating to expand our shared knowledge of effective programs.
Our team of subject matter experts and staff work to identify, implement, evaluate, and share best practices to prevent and reduce the impact of substance use and SUD.
We adapt those practices as needed with the goal of making them more effective in rural communities.
We engage with rural communities with an emphasis on listening and learning. Through this process, we gain an understanding of a community’s unique strengths and needs, and become familiar with their efforts related to SUD.
We help by sharing resources and support communities' efforts through our Program Assistance.
Implementing Programs
While disseminating resources nationally, the center has also implemented pilot programs to increase access to care and resources for SUD in rural Appalachian New York State. We have partnered with treatment programs and hospitals to establish interconnected programs in key areas such as naloxone distribution, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and care management.
Our past efforts have equipped and supported rural providers in the region, with particular focus on emergency department and primary care settings.
This work has included an online training series on treatment of SUD for primary care practices and a collaborative pilot to provide case consultation on pain management to primary care providers, among other projects.
Reducing stigma around SUD and treatment
Preventing substance use and SUD among adolescents and youth, with attention to trauma-informed care and to e-cigarette use
Managing pain in primary care settings and after surgery
Resources
Learn pages describe best practices, with resources and tools to help with implementation in rural communities.
Learn Together
Program Assistance
Read about the ways we support community efforts related to SUD, or connect with us by filling out a contact form.
