Pro-act rural recovery center without walls

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania Inc. $350,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.490) to implement peer recovery support services for adults with substance use disorders in rural southeastern Pennsylvania.

The recipient will operate the PRO-ACT Rural Recovery Center Without Walls, a mobile engagement model delivering individualized peer recovery support services to 300 unduplicated adults ages 18 and older with substance use disorders or co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders across three years (75 in year one, 100 in year two, 125 in year three). The service area encompasses approximately 259,000 residents in Schuylkill County (145,000) and rural Berks County (114,073).

Interventions include motivalized interviewing, trauma-informed care, strength-based care management, relapse prevention therapy, individual recovery plan development, peer mentoring and coaching, and family recovery supports. The project delivers telehealth and face-to-face peer recovery support services, referral to community services, pre-employment counseling and employment support through Gateway to Work, family education, and navigation to recovery housing. The clinical population includes individuals stabilizing on FDA-approved medication for opioid use disorder, individuals with overdose history, veterans, and system-involved adults including those reentering after incarceration and those with child-welfare involvement.

Work is performed in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with a period of performance from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2029.

Abstract

The council of southeast PA will implement this building communities of recovery (BCOR) grant through the pennsylvania recovery organization - achieving community together (pro-act) which IT hosts, to mobilize regional and state resources within and outside of the recovery community to serve 300 adults with a substance use disorder (SUD) in schuylkill and surrounding pennsylvania counties over three years. IT will provide individualized peer recovery support services and recovery-focused community efforts to increase the prevalence and enhance the quality of long-term SUD recovery support through a project called "pro-act rural recovery center without walls", providing mobile engagement with community-based peer recovery support services (PRSS). Population of focus (POF): the project will serve 300 unduplicated adults (75/100/125 across years 1-3), who are 18 years and older, with a SUD or CO-occurring substance use and mental health disorder (COD) in a rural service area of ~259,000 residents (schuylkill 145,000; rural berks 114,073); median ages 43 and 40. The clinical profile includes individuals stabilizing using FDA-approved medication for an opioid-substance use disorder (MOUD), individuals with a history of non-fatal overdose, veterans, and system-involved adults including those reentering after incarceration and those with child-welfare involvement. Strategies/interventions: interventions include integrated evidence-based practices such as motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, strength based care management, relapse prevention therapy, development of individual recovery plans, peer mentoring, coaching and smart friends & family recovery supports for families. PRSS include telehealth and face-to-face services and referral to community services, gateway to work (pre-employment counseling and employment support), family education, navigation in accessing recovery housing that allows access to and use of US food and drug administration (FDA) approved medications for substance use disorders in the rural communities, information on overdose prevention, naloxone, and referral services. Goals and objectives: the overarching goal is to improve engagement in long-term recovery for 300 adults with a SUD by expanding and enhancing recovery support services in schuylkill and surrounding PA counties. Measurable objectives over 3 years include: 1. By the end of each project year, at least 80% of actively engaged participants will report no past-30-day alcohol or illegal drug use at six-month reassessment. 2. By year 3, at least 75 percent of participants enrolled 12 months or longer will report past-30-day abstinence at the 12-month follow-up. 3. By six-month reassessment each year, at least 60% of participants receiving workforce support services will be employed or enrolled in education or training programs. 4. Maintain a six-month follow-up rate of at least 80 percent and a discharge data-collection rate of at least 95 percent across the project period. 5. Distribute at least 150 naloxone doses and reduce past-30-day overdose events year over year among actively engaged participants.