Project Grant H79TI088976

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Northern Ohio Recovery Association $525,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.490).

Northern Ohio Recovery Association will operate the EmpowerHer Residential Treatment Program, a five-year initiative serving pregnant and postpartum women aged 18 to 45 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The program targets 60 women per year for a total of 300 women over the grant period, with secondary services to minor children, partners, and family members. Approximately 50 percent of participants will have less than a high school education, more than 60 percent will have co-occurring mental health disorders, and 70 percent will experience housing and food insecurity.

NORA will deploy a mobile crisis unit, mobile behavioral health unit, and two-person outreach team to engage women where they are, prioritizing pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders. Evidence-based interventions include screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT), motivational interviewing, medication-assisted treatment and medications for opioid use disorder (MAT/MOUD), and trauma-informed approaches. Peer recovery support services will provide ongoing support, in-home visits, and follow-ups for at least 90 days post-initial assessment. Measurable objectives include screening and assessing 300 unique individuals, achieving 70 percent treatment completion rates with 80 percent reporting significant substance use reduction, reducing mental health symptoms in 50 percent of program completers, and improving access to integrated care services.

Period of performance runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031. Place of performance is Cleveland, Ohio.