The following press release was distributed by the US Department of Health and Human Resources.

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) plans to award up to 75 grants to rural communities as part of a new Rural Communities Opioid Response (Planning) (RCORP) initiative in FY 18.

Successful awardees will receive up to $200,000 for one year to develop plans to implement opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery interventions designed to reduce opioid overdoses among rural populations.

The initiative will focus on the 220 counties identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as being at risk (PDF – 158 KB), as well as other high risk rural communities.

The lead applicant must be part of a group including at least three other partners that have committed to forming a consortium or are part of an established consortium.

All domestic public and private entities, nonprofit and for-profit, will be eligible to apply and all services must be provided in rural communities.

This initiative is part of a three-year Rural Communities Opioid Response initiative by HRSA aimed at supporting treatment for and prevention of substance use disorder.

Please watch www.hrsa.gov and www.grants.gov for the Notice of Funding Opportunity anticipated later this spring, 2018.