UCA officials speak on new peer recovery support program aiming to fight opioid crisis

CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas is developing a program to use the settlement it received through the national opioid settlement to fight opioid addiction and abuse in the community.

“This is going to be a big need coming down the pike,” UCA addiction studies program director Stephanie Rose said.

UCA was awarded over $202,000 from the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership and will be used to establish and operate a peer recovery and support specialist program at the school and within Faulkner County, Conway and the surrounding area.

The program will consist of two peer support and recovery specialists and graduate-level interns who will oversee and implement educational activities through the UCA Cares Clinic.

The program will partner with the Conway Police Department’s Community Crisis Response Team.

Lt. Andrew Johnson, wellness program coordinator and CCRT program coordinator, said, “there’s nothing like that available like that in the city.”

The program will serve UCA college students who struggle with substance abuse as well as the community and people discharged from Conway Regional Medical Center’s Substance Abuse Treatment and Detox Unit.

“We’ve done a good job with treatment, but we have to do a better job with prevention,” Rose said. “This program is not only going to obtain recovery but also maintain that recovery.”

“The purpose of the proposed program is to empower community members, including families and college students to understand the impact of opioids, treatment options, proper use of Naloxone and the Revive AR app, as well as ways to support prevention and recovery interventions,” Rose explained.

Being able to launch this program means a lot to Rose who says her father and other family members died from addiction.

“I just really hope that students feel that this is a safe place that they can come and get the help they need and have somebody who has been there and then and build that empathy,” said Rose.

Johnson said this program will fill the gap that is missing in the City of Conway. Johnson says the city does have rehab facilities, but nothing where the boots on the ground will “grab them by the hand and say I got you, let’s do this. If you want to do it, I will walk through it with you.”

The program will also provide hands-on experience for UCA addiction studies students as “they are going to have wonderful real-life opportunities” by being able to shadow people who’ve been working in the field.

“I think that is the most empowering thing if we can empower our students to continue to pay it forward and give back,” Rose said.

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