Across the state of Georgia, the total number of opioid-related overdose deaths increased by 207% from 2010 to 2020. In Brantley, Pierce and Ware counties, opioid use and overdoses have steadily increased over the last ten years as well. Equipped with both this knowledge and the personal experiences and exposures to opioid-related overdoses and deaths, local community partners across the three counties knew action had to be taken to improve outcomes for those affected by Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
The Trust Partnership, a tri-county coalition, was established in November 2020 as community entities and organizations met to discuss the deep-reaching effect across Brantley, Pierce and Ware counties that occurred due to the collision of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national opioid overdose epidemic. The mission of the Trust Partnership is to create a safety net for those suffering from OUD/SUD, engaging professional and lay leaders from the tri-county region to collaboratively develop strategies that will address prevention, rescue, treatment and recovery.
This year, the Ware County Board of Health was awarded funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Rural Health Policy Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Implementation Grant, totaling $998,271. The Trust Partnership partners include Unison Behavioral Health, Ware County Children’s Initiative, Share Health Southeast Georgia and Ware County Board of Health.
Leveraging the work of community partners in various sectors such as public health, behavioral health, social services, housing, education, law enforcement and additional community-based organizations that have worked together since 2020, the Trust Partnership is making a positive impact on the residents of Brantley, Pierce and Ware counties as they educate and inform the communities about OUD/SUD and link individuals and families who are affected by OUD/SUD to vital resources. For more information about the Trust Partnership, please reach out to Derek Jones, Project Director, at derek.jones@dph.ga.gov.
The Ware County Board of Health was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $998,271 with zero percent financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
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