West Central Alabama Area Health Education Center
- Project Title: Southwest Alabama Opioid Response Project
- Program Representative Interviewed: Chansica Lanier, RCORP IV Program Manager, and Dr. Liza Nicholson, Deputy Director of Public Health Programs, West Central Alabama AHEC
- Location: Southwest Alabama
- Program Overview: Since 2020, the West Central Alabama Area Health Education Center (AHEC) has been awarded Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)-Implementation funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The Southwest Alabama Opioid Response (SAOR) Project is implemented across fifteen rural counties in southwest Alabama. The SAOR Project seeks to address obstacles to treatment for opioid use disorder through community education and outreach. The SAOR Project hires Community Health Workers (CHWs) from the community they serve. CHWs are placed in both clinical settings and community organizations with the goal of bridging the gap between providers, community resources, and community members. Within the clinical setting, CHWs help connect patients to available social supports. CHWs play a valuable role in assisting patients with medical and medication adherence; they connect patients to follow-up appointments, transportation, and resources to assist with medication payment. In non-clinical settings, CHWs work with a variety of community organizations including public libraries, outreach centers, churches, faith-based organizations, and university campuses. Within the community, CHWs provide education on health topics such as cardiovascular disease and mental health disorders while also providing information on programs and services available in the community.