Project STEP (Substance Use, Treatment, Education, Prevention), is a newly formed consortium tasked with supporting the expanded public health response to opioid misuse in rural Texas communities.
Project STEP will soon begin a study in Madison and Burleson county communities to address substance use issues affecting these populations with special attention to opioids. Through this federally funded grant, Project STEP will survey residents of Madison and Burleson counties to gather information about opioid and other substance misuse and its consequences for the community. All members of the community will be asked to participate in a countywide survey. Focus groups and individual interviews will be used to gather information from individuals who currently use opioids, individuals in recovery from addiction, behavioral health workers, and first responders, including law enforcement, and healthcare workers.
The information gathered will be used to create plans for opioid and substance misuse prevention and treatment primarily for these communities, with broader lessons for expanded rural Texas communities. This project is funded through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy within the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is part of a broader effort by the federal government to address opioid and substance use disorder in rural communities that routinely deal with issues related to treatment such as proximity to treatment providers and centers.
Project STEP is currently comprised of several local community partners in both Madison and Burleson Counties, including CHI St. Joseph Health Madison Hospital, CHI St. Joseph Health Burleson Hospital, the County Sheriff’s and local police offices, school districts, local nonprofit organizations that play a role in county health, and the Texas A&M Center for Community Health Development.
The Texas Department of Agriculture State Office of Rural Health and the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School are involved as the research partners of the project. The study will launch in early June with the release of the community survey and focus groups will start shortly thereafter. Individuals interested in participating in the focus groups will be able to indicate interest while completing the community survey. Confidential interviews will be scheduled for people who currently use opioids and those interested in participating, but prefer not to participate in a focus group setting.
