The Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families and Children (CFC Center) has continued to develop current partnerships and initiatives, including the Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Program in the Big Bend region and the Florida Higher Education Substance Use Disorder Consortium.

Community Partnership with DISC Village

DISC Village, Inc. partnered with the Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Program (ROTAP) the CFC Center through August 2022. The program is a collaboration between Florida State University and Florida A&M University through the support of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop and disseminate training and technical assistance to rural communities addressing opioid issues affecting their communities. ROTAP, through the center, serves ten rural counties in the north Florida region. 

The agency began to provide the following services through this grant in April 2021:

• Outreach: the goal is to connect with leaders in the 10 rural communities in health care, law enforcement, and education to discuss opioid use disorder (OUD) and how best to address this issue within their community.
• Community Awareness: the goal is through the outreach connections to link in with the larger community to provide information on OUD and how to access the materials and services available for this issue.
• Technical Assistance: connecting those in the communities with the training materials to become Train the Trainers (TTT) on the OUD educational program, as well as connecting community members with experts in the area of OUD and how to obtain tools through the HEROS program with DOH.

Hands-On Training Development

During the summer months, Maria Geselman joined the CFC Center’s ROTAP to lead the program's development and facilitation of training. Maria earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Grand Valley State University and worked in a homeless shelter and behavioral health hospital before earning her master’s degree in social work from Indiana University. Over the summer, she conducted outreach in all ten rural counties in North Florida involved in the program, teaching opioid prevention classes.

“I have enjoyed teaching these classes because I believe that prevention measures are invaluable,” said Maria. “The program also encourages teens to partake in wellness behaviors like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising. My goal for the project is to connect with organizations in all ten counties so that I can teach at least one class in each county.”

Learn more about the Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Program at csw.fsu.edu/cfc.  

Florida Substance Use Disorder Symposium

The CFC Center, in collaboration with the FSU College of Social Work and College of Medicine along with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to offer a one-day conference focusing on substance use disorders on Friday, September 24, 2021.

Attendees can participate in the conference in person or virtually to hear from substance use disorder experts across Florida State University and the United States. The conference is a result of the Higher Education Substance Use Disorder Consortium, which comprises twelve Florida colleges and universities and its partners, the National Association of Social Work, Florida Chapter, and Citrus Health Network. The consortium aims to develop a science-informed curriculum concentrated on substance use disorders and co-occurring mental disorders.

Learn more and register for the conference at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fl-substance-use-disorder-symposium-emerging-trends-and-critical-issues-tickets-163526555329.