News & Updates — FORE Announcements

Today, FORE announced four awards, totaling $1.1 million, to organizations working to expand access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services for people affected by the opioid and overdose crisis. The new funding supports initiatives focused on Medicaid policy, healthcare delivery innovation, and community-based solutions to improve outcomes for those most impacted by this public health emergency.

“These grants reflect FORE’s ongoing commitment to supporting evidence-based, person- centered approaches to the opioid and overdose crisis,” said Karen A. Scott, MD, MPH, FORE’s president. “By funding efforts that promote access to care, reduce stigma, and improve recovery outcomes, we are helping to build sustainable systems that address the urgent needs of individuals, families, and communities.”

With a $529,144 grant, Georgia Southern University in collaboration with the Georgia Council for Recovery and Augusta University will launch the Georgia Recovery-Ready Workplace (GROW) Initiative. The program aims to increase employment opportunities for individuals in recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD) and help at least 10 large Georgia-based employers foster stigma-free, recovery-supportive work environments. At least 100 individuals in recovery are expected to secure employment through the program, recognizing the critical link between stable work and sustained recovery.

With a $458,807 grant, Thomas Jefferson University will evaluate whether patients of Jefferson Addiction Multidisciplinary Services — a medical home that relies on a multidisciplinary team to coordinate the services and supports people with substance use disorders receive from hospitals, outpatient clinics, and community-based organizations — have better treatment outcomes and lower health care utilization than patients who did not. The results may inform the potential future development of an alternative payment model that supports holistic, long-term recovery care.

With an $80,000 addendum grant, the Legal Action Center will provide education to federal and state policymakers and agencies, as well as the public, on how changes to the Medicaid program, including new work requirements and cost-sharing responsibilities for Medicaid recipients, may harm individuals at high risk of opioid overdoses, including people involved in the criminal-legal system. In addition to other reports, the center will publish an issue brief with strategies for implementing work requirements and will compile stories of individuals whose recovery would not be possible without Medicaid. This grant supplements prior FORE funding of the Legal Action Center’s opioid-related policy work.

With a $40,000 grant, Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) will develop educational resources for national, state, and local policymakers including factsheets and a policy memo that highlight how changes to Medicaid eligibility requirements and reimbursed services may limit access to evidence-based substance use prevention services and mental health supports in schools. The project will highlight key findings from a survey of 1,400 school leaders in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as build on HSC’s previous FORE-supported efforts to help states and school districts leverage Medicaid as a sustainable and scalable source of funding for school-based substance use prevention services.