Reaching Rural: Advancing Collaborative Solutions is a 1-year fellowship designed to help public safety and public health practitioners and other interested community members address substance use and misuse in rural communities. Participants will work to build deeper networks across sectors, adopt bold solutions, and reimagine how diverse systems can engage to better serve justice-involved individuals with substance use or co-occurring disorders.
The program runs February 2025 through February 2026 and consists of 3 in-person meetings, monthly mentorship and guidance focused on local needs, monthly assignments to apply core concepts, and the completion of planning projects to implement identified solutions.
Program activities include:
- Assess local or regional opportunities for systemic change
- Build leadership skills to facilitate cross-sector collaboration
- Explore the implementation of evidence-informed strategies in diverse rural settings
- Identify opportunities for different sectors, such as law enforcement, child welfare, prosecutors, probation, judges, public health, behavioral health, to align efforts more effectively
- Prioritize opportunities and strategies and commit to action
- Build a roadmap for local implementation and identify resources to support its implementation
- Commit to a project or individualized learning opportunity
Applications are due December 16, 2024.