REACH Health Services has been awarded a grant from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), a leader in the field of treating diverse populations. This grant, named EMPOWER, aims to reduce racial disparities in Substance Use Disorders (SUD) treatment engagement and retention by enhancing access to HIV and HCV testing and treatment.
EMPOWER Project: Addressing Treatment Engagement and Retention
The EMPOWER project will serve 290 Black men and women with SUD or Co-Occurring Disorders (COD) who are at risk for or living with HIV. This initiative provides culturally tailored, patient-focused, and evidence-based interventions to promote engagement and retention in medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment.
Treatment Retention and Public Health
Treatment retention is key in national public health efforts to reduce death rates, including overdose deaths, and improve physical and mental health. The trained EMPOWER staff, who have lived experience with SUD and represent the focus population, will use a coordinated team approach for this purpose.
Culturally Tailored, Patient-Focused Care
Our individual plans of care focus on building rapport within a therapeutic relationship, strengthening patient motivation and self-efficacy, and providing direct access to necessary medical and psychosocial services. The aim is to achieve each participant’s SUD- and HIV/HCV-related treatment objectives.
Impact of EMPOWER
The success of the EMPOWER project is expected to reduce health disparities among participants, leading to lower mortality rates and improvements in physical and mental health and quality of life.
Through the EMPOWER project, REACH Health Services continues its commitment to addressing the needs of those struggling with SUD and related health issues.
