Delta Health Alliance, Inc.

The Delta Opioid Taskforce (DOT) Initiative’s purpose is to reduce the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in rural communities of the Mississippi Delta. The network represents a collaborative of state health officers, non-profit agencies, drug treatment centers, social service providers, judicial systems and law enforcement, working together on our Delta Opioid Taskforce Planning Committee, which has been actively mapping out resources, needs and opportunities in the region since February 2018. The Planning Committee developed a four-part plan to work with healthcare providers, educators, job trainers and researchers to implement and evaluate a comprehensive treatment and counseling program for opioid abuse. Components of this plan include: 1) development of rural opioid  treatment and counseling programs  with referrals from local clinics and district drug and circuit courts, reducing the need for travel to urban care centers; 2) expansion and support of recovery support services  in rural communities (e.g. transportation, safe housing, job readiness training, childcare and parenting classes, and peer-support groups); 3) development and promotion of evidence-based  alternatives  to opioids for  effective pain management; and 4) a range of workforce training programs  including the recognition of opioid addiction and overdoses and proper administration of naloxone. 

Our DOT Initiative will utilize the evidence-based Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) model, which offers choice through a flexible menu of services and recovery supports to meet the specific needs of each individual. By partnering with a wide range of providers, our network will be able to provide access to medically managed detoxification, outpatient treatments, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), residential treatment programs, individualized drug counseling, group counseling and support, alternative pain management techniques, and recovery support services. Coordination with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health’s Bureau of Alcohol & Drug Services and Bureau of Behavioral Health Services/Addictive Services will ensure that our program aligns with our state’s plans and makes the best use of existing resources and referral networks.