What We Do
The Great Lakes ROTA-RC is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide training and technical assistance (TA) to the rural communities of Health and Human Services Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Collaboratively, we develop and strengthen community capacity to prevent, treat, and support recovery for opioid use disorder and other mental health and substance use disorders, using a whole family/whole community approach to provide culturally appropriate educational opportunities. Through Cooperative Extension state programs, we employ evidence-based/emerging practices and provide virtual and/or on-demand education for rural community members on mental health and substance use disorders in the workplace, substance use education, and other relevant topics in mental health and substance use disorders. In communities with indigenous populations, the project co-creates culturally responsive, holistic health education and resources.
Goals
The goals of the Great Lakes ROTA-RC are to:
- Conduct a region-wide needs assessment to determine the needs and current activities of Region 5 rural communities
- Promote the adoption of culturally and linguistically appropriate, evidence-based, and promising practices
- Provide training and TA with up-to-date resources and information on the harm reduction, prevention, treatment, and recovery of opioid misuse and use disorder focused on rural communities
- Collaborate with state Cooperative Extension organizations and other opioid TA providers to assure bi-directional flow of information about resources available that can be applied to rural communities.
Programs & Activities
The Great Lakes ROTA-RC offers a broad array of training and technical assistance to the rural community. Focus areas include:
- Youth Prevention Programming
- Mental Health First Aid
- Community Substance Use Education
- Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in the Workplace
- Culturally Responsive, Holistic Health Education in Indigenous Communities
Commitment to Excellence
Great Lakes ROTA-RC is committed to ongoing evaluation of the technical assistance, education and outreach it provides to rural communities. Great Lakes ROTA-RC evaluates and reports to its funding partner SAMHSA.
Through monitoring the number of individuals we provide training to, conduct outreach efforts with, and provide available cultural and linguistic, evidence based, promising practices to promote health, prevention, treatment and recovery supports we will demonstrate commitment to our communities and our funding partner.
