Washington State University receives $650K Opioid Str grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Northwest rural opioid technical assistance collaborative (nw rotac) - opioid technical assistance collaborative the northwest rural opioid technical assistance collaborative (nw rotac) seeks designation as the rural opioid technical assistance (rota) regional center, serving Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Nw rotac will strengthen the capacity of rural and frontier communities to prevent and address opioid, stimulant, and related substance use disorders through evidence-based training and technical assistance (tta). The project will support rural providers, organizations, and systems by expanding access to prevention, treatment, recovery support services, workforce development resources, and implementation support tailored to rural communities. Region 10 includes geographically isolated rural and frontier communities facing high rates of opioid- and stimulant-related harms, workforce shortages, limited treatment infrastructure, and reduced access to training and professional development opportunities. Nw rotac will provide comprehensive, high-quality tta to strengthen rural systems of care and improve access to evidence-based prevention, treatment, recovery, and workforce development practices. The intended audience includes behavioral health professionals, substance use disorder counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, community health workers, peer support specialists, prevention professionals, cooperative extension educators, healthcare administrators, organizational leaders, and others working in rural settings. Audiences will represent primary care clinics, tribal health organizations, community health centers, critical access hospitals, behavioral health agencies, recovery community organizations, public health agencies, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, and other community-based organizations. Nw rotac will provide a continuum of universal, targeted, and intensive tta. Activities will include annual regional needs assessments; a bi-monthly webinar series; self-paced online learning modules; evidence-based resources, toolkits, and workforce development materials; online resource inventories; learning collaboratives; targeted trainings on opioid and stimulant use disorders, overdose prevention, recovery support services, and workforce development; supervisor learning collaboratives; burnout prevention training; intensive implementation support; and dis-semination of resources through websites, newsletters, professional networks, conferences, and social media. The project is expected to reach approximately 2,675 individuals in year 1, 3,230 individuals in year 2, and 4,290 individuals in year 3, for a total unduplicated reach of 10,195 individuals across the three-year project period. Project goals are to: (1) collaborate with regional partners to identify needs and coordinate tta delivery; (2) develop and disseminate innovative rural opioid, stimulant, and substance use tta; (3) strengthen the rural behavioral health workforce; (4) increase dissemination and engagement with rural stakeholders; and (5) implement a data-driven continuous quality improvement process. Key measurable objectives include conducting an annual regional needs assessment and work plan; delivering a bi-monthly webinar series; developing evidence-based resources; creating self-paced online learning modules; conducting learning collaboratives; providing intensive tta to organizations; offering continuing education opportunities; providing trainings focused on burn-out prevention and supervisor-focused learning collaboratives; conducting outreach to educational and credentialing organizations; and collecting and utilizing performance data to guide continuous quality improvement. These activities directly support SAMHSA strategic priorities by strengthening prevention, treatment, recovery, workforce capacity, evidence-based practice implementation, and data-informed decision-making.