The UC Recovery CONNECT program, a program of the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) has been awarded opioid abatement funds. The UC Recovery CONNECT project was among 139 other applicants seeking funding via the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council. UC Recovery requested $5,161,469 to fund the first three years of the project.
“We are committed to making a difference in the lives of those impacted by substance use disorders,” said UCDD-UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley. “These funds will allow our program to work in collaboration with treatment providers, the medical field, and higher education to develop a regional ecosystem that can identify individuals who are early in addiction and hopefully get them the treatment they need. UCHRA will be there to provide wrap-around support as they transition back into the workforce.”
UC Recovery, led by UCHRA, is comprised of a team of local and regional partners who are working to improve the continuum of care for individuals with substance use disorder. UC Recovery links health professionals and other service providers in the Upper Cumberland region to ensure the coordination of services to meet the unique needs and preferences of the individuals they serve.
Since its inception, UC Recovery works to engage clinicians and patients in the region’s most rural communities to improve screening and timely assessment, timely, consistent case management, and increased capacity and sustainability.
In total, the state’s opioid abatement council received 139 applications just for recovery support programs; totaling more than $164 million in requested funds. Other strategy categories include primary prevention, harm reduction, treatment, education and training, and research and evaluation. Combined, the 386 scored applications across all strategy categories resulted in more than $725.7 million in requested funds to combat substance abuse.