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Opioid Response

The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is a multi-year initiative that addresses barriers to treatment for substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD). It works toward the HHS goal of ending the opioid epidemic. RCORP is supported through HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

What programs are part of RCORP?

RCORP has the following five grant programs in HRSA-designated rural areas:

What SUD/OUD resources does RCORP fund?

RCORP funds three Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorders. The Centers identify best practices for reducing SUD/OUD in rural communities. RCORP also provides a technical assistance portal (link is external)  with SUD/OUD resources. Additionally, RCORP supports three Rural Behavioral Health Workforce Centers in the Northern Border Regional Commission service area.

What is our impact on rural communities?

We have invested over $400 million across over 1,500 counties since FY 2018

Who can apply for RCORP?

All domestic public or private, non-profit or for-profit entities, including:

  • Faith-based and community-based groups
  • Federally-recognized tribes

How does opioid use affect rural communities?

The opioid crisis has hit rural communities hard. Barriers to treatment and prevention services limit access to care.

Rate of deaths from natural and semisynthetic opioid use were higher in rural than urban counties (4.9 and 4.3, per 100,000) in 2017.

Learn how HRSA addresses the opioid crisis.

Subscribe to FORHP's weekly e-newsletter (link is external)  for RCORP news.

Learn how the National Health Service Corps is improving the health workforce in RCORP sites.

Contact Us

Questions about HRSA's efforts to combat the opioid epidemic in rural communities? Email us at ruralopioidresponse@hrsa.gov.

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