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Project Name: Rural Health Network Development Program (D06)
Applicant Title: WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA AHEC
Abstract Text: Organizational Information: West Central Alabama AHEC, 1100 S. Cedar Avenue, Demopolis, AL 36732, Healthcare Support Nonprofit Organization, www.wcaahec.org Requested amount: $1,200,000 Project Director: Rosie London, Executive Director, xxx-xxx-xxxx, xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx Network Director: Alicia Logan, Network Director, xxx-xxx-xxxx, xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx Project Title and Goal: The goal of the Goldenrod Outreach (GO) Initiative is to increase community capacity for prevention, treatment and ongoing support mechanisms for individuals at risk and diagnosed with diabetes and/or heart disease. Target population: The target population for this project will be all adults 18+, which include specific vulnerable populations such as utilizers of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), uninsured patients, Medicaid patients, racial minorities and persons who live in medically underserved areas. Network Members: The Southwest Alabama Healthcare Collaborative (SAHC) is composed of five members who will manage the GO Initiative, all of whom are located in fully-rural areas in Southwest Alabama. Network Project Activities/Services: The GO Initiative will allow the SAHC to build necessary infrastructure to become a recognized entity, create committees to address chronic disease in the region, and create support programs for both community members and healthcare providers to prevent, treat and support recovery for those at-risk of diabetes and/or heart disease in rural Southwest Alabama across the following counties: Choctaw, Clarke, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe and Sumter. Expected Outcomes: 1) Improved access to primary healthcare services in rural Southwest Alabama (Domain 1); 2) Increased primary care service variety and capacity for chronic disease, notably diabetes and heart disease (Domain 2); 3) Strengthened or expanded network services in clinical and nonclinical environments (Domain 3); and 4) Sustainable service capacity of network program(s) to address diabetes and heart disease in the project service area, with capacity for replication in other communities (Domain 4). Capacity to Serve Rural Underserved Populations: The SAHC, a multi-member network of healthcare providers, community leaders and civic organizations, was founded in 2020 through a HRSA grant to execute a multisectoral approach aimed at increasing community capacity for prevention, treatment, and recovery support for those at-risk and diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD). Among the key interventions in the projects have been the implementation of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in clinical facilities and increased provider and community education programs across a 15-county service area, which has seen resounding success among healthcare providers and community members in helping to bridge the gap between patient and provider, as well as to increase the local community’s ability to respond to SUD/OUD in regards to sustainable prevention, treatment and recovery support mechanisms. In one year alone (2020-2021), Collaborative members participating in the HRSA-20-031 project have been able to screen 3,213 individuals for substance use, educate 134 community members on naloxone education, increase the number of healthcare providers by 13.3% who can prescribe buprenorphine-containing products for medication assisted treatment (MAT), and assist local, state and federal partners with crucial data collection through a multi-county needs assessment. All network members who will participate in the GO Initiative are located in fully-rural, medically-underserved counties and have extensive experience implementing community-based initiatives aimed to improve primary care services and access to care for rural, underserved and historically-marginalized populations.