Rates of opioid use are increasing significantly, as is demand for public, primary and behavioral health care services in underserved rural communities. Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH) and Grays Harbor County Public Hospital District #1 have both been awarded the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Planning Grant to address this issue.
The grant assists rural organizations in reducing opioid overdoses among rural populations at the highest risk for substance use disorders. Nationally, the Health Resources and Services Administration is awarding a total of $19 million of RCORP-planning grants to 95 rural organizations.
KVH received the grant on behalf of the Kittitas County Health Network (KCHN). KCHN is developing plans to implement evidence-based opioid use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery interventions.
“This funding will help make it possible to have a positive impact on the opioid crisis in Kittitas County,” stated Lauren Denton, Director of the Foundation at KVH and KCHN Leadership Council Member. “The KCHN is an example of how unique our community is through collaborating across sectors to effectively respond to the vastly different health care challenges rural counties face.”
