Substance Use Disorder Collaborative: Case Study
Why did this project happen? For a number of years, funders in the Mid-Ohio Valley, namely the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, Sisters Health Foundation, the Bernard McDonough Foundation, and the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, have been concerned about the escalating opioid epidemic and the rise in substance use disorders (SUD) in their communities. These local funders meet regularly to discuss issues impacting the community and explore ways in which they can work together to address them.
“About four years ago,” said Marian Clowes, Associate Director for Community Leadership at the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, “we engaged in a number of conversations about [substance use disorders] and the broad impact on our region and decided that collaborative action would be more effective than each one of us trying to address this issue on our own.”
How did the investment strategy work? In 2018, this group of funders jointly provided grant funding to secure a consultant to lead them through a series of listening sessions with agencies and individuals in the community working on this issue.
“Throughout this extended listening and information gathering process,” said Clowes, “one message became clear: there were a number of agencies in our community working to address various aspects on the continuum of services related to SUD, from prevention, to treatment, to recovery support services. However, these services were often disconnected and lacked alignment.”
Many spoke about the need for more collaborative coordination, and as a result, the funders joined together to create the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Collaborative, designed to be an action-oriented effort focused on reducing the stigma and adverse effects associated with SUD for individuals and families in the Mid-Ohio Valley and its surrounding communities.
In early 2020, again through joint funding, these local partners created a position for an SUD Collaborative Director and hired John Leite for this role in March 2020, each of them committing to three years of support to fund this role. Another local foundation, the Fenton Foundation, also provided grant support, and West Virginia University at Parkersburg and Trinity Episcopal Church offered in-kind support.
The funder partners also recently committed another three years of financial support to the Collaborative to provide stability for the near future. Over time, the group anticipates that the Collaborative will secure additional support by seeking additional grants.
What existing assets did the project leverage? At the same time this initial work was beginning in 2018, another local funder, the Bernard McDonough Foundation, commissioned a study called “The City of Solutions” through Marshall University. This study researched and highlighted successful programs that have been initiated in Cabell County, West Virginia that address SUD. This study has served as a guide for the local SUD Collaborative, as well as for other communities in the state. In 2019, a large community gathering was held to share “The City of Solutions” study and to discuss gaps in services and needs around SUD issues in the community.
Many other existing organizations have become essential partners in the creation and success of the Collaborative and its work, including treatment facilities, recovery programs, health care organizations, faith-based organizations, behavioral health centers, the WV Office of Drug Control Policy, law enforcement, and local governments.
How does this relate to broader community improvement? This project contributes to both health and wellness access and economic and workforce development improvement in the communities it touches. Despite initiating this new SUD Collaborative Director position right at the beginning of the pandemic, the Collaborative has had a number of initial successes, including:
Formation of an advisory board with representation from key sectors in the community
Participation in a learning academy centered on workforce issues for people in recovery through the Development District of Appalachia
Securing a $500,000 ARC Inspire grant to address workforce development opportunities for individuals impacted by SUD
Data collection (overdose rates, treatment and recovery beds, etc.)
Exploration of the impact of SUD on foster care
Preparing local SUD treatment providers for new value-based payment models
“This investment has already had great impact,” said Clowes, “particularly in the employment and workforce areas. But we are just getting started – there is much work yet to do. The Collaborative is currently undertaking a gap analysis to identify the unmet needs. The results of this gap analysis will guide the work in the coming years as we identify particular areas of need and then mobilize the community and build partnerships to fill in those gaps.”
Both the Collaborative’s partners and its director are well connected across the state of West Virginia and with the WV Office of Drug Control Policy; these connections inform the Collaborative’s work and the Collaborative, through these channels, also informs the work of others across the state. The leadership and funders see it as a model for the state and the region and hope to see this replicated in other areas.
In addition, the Collaborative spans two states, as its service area bridges the states of WV and OH. The West Virginia funders connect often with others in Southeastern Ohio working on SUD issues so that they can learn from each other and expand and support various initiatives taking place in the region.
How is the impact of this project measured? The SUD Collaborative is working to establish a tracking system that will measure the effectiveness of this program:
Workforce Development:
Measuring impacts and outcomes of ARC Inspire investment funding, including such metrics as number of individuals provided with legal assistance, number of patients served through improved connection to community services, number of businesses who utilize education resources and incentive programs, and more
Monitoring the numbers of people enrolled in and having completed the Jobs and Hope program, utilizing job training services, and connected to employment; wages earned; etc.
Conducting participant surveys and interviews
Value-Based Payments:
Working with local SUD treatment and recovery providers to begin implementing value-based quality metrics which will soon be used to dictate their Medicaid reimbursements
Identifying 1 or 2 initial measures that the Collaborative can test implementing and work through the challenges of tracking data, coordinating services, and developing reports
Centered on WV Senate Bill 419
Collaborative Events and Learning:
Offer multiple conferences, webinars, and other learning opportunities throughout the year
Measure the number of people and organizations who interact with these opportunities
“The vision of the funders to collectively develop this initiative is something I had never seen previously in my career,” said John Leite, Director of SUD Collaborative. “Their passion for improving the lives of Mid-Ohio Valley residents is what… continues to inspire our work.”