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The Washington Parish Coalition on Human Services (WPCHS) held its August meeting Tuesday, Aug. 23, at the ADAPT, Inc., office in Bogalusa.

Rhonda Gunnell, Prevention Specialist with ADAPT, Inc., provided a presentation on the HRSA grant. According to Gunnell, ADAPT, Inc. has been awarded the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) grant with a start date of Sept. 1, 2022. RCORP is a multi-year initiative by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD) in high-risk rural communities. The HRSA grant that has been awarded to ADAPT, Inc. is renewable for four consecutive years at $500,000 per year. ADAPT, Inc. will be the lead agency in implementing Project ADAPT (All Deserve Advocacy, Prevention and Treatment). Other organizations who will be partnering with ADAPT, Inc. in the implementation of the grant includes Florida Parishes Human Services Authority (FPHSA), Southeast Louisiana Volunteers of America (VOA), Our Lady of the Angels Hospital (OLOAH), Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, and B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn Correctional Center. This grant will be wide-reaching into the community, involving parish leaders, organizations, rural health care providers, behavioral health care providers and residents to reduce SUD/OUD among the citizens of Washington Parish. Gunnell will serve as Project Director for this program.

Attendees of the August meeting included: (in-person) Gloria Kates, Glory Davis, Rusty Fornea, Rhonda Gunnell, Tiffany Crain, Paige Garic, Bobbie Kimbrell, Ginger Champagne, Don Sauviac, David Boudreaux, Tiffany Whitley and Rosa Moses; (via Zoom) Demetria Dantzler, Emma Ross, Erica French, Dana Walker, Sheila Seal, Brittiny Costella, Colin Buchanan, Alison Blades and Wendy Castillo.

The next scheduled meeting for WPCHS will be on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 9:30 a.m. at the ADAPT Office, located at 216 Memphis St. in Bogalusa. Paula Charles with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) will be the guest speaker. Meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact Rusty Fornea at 985-735-0160.