Other Regions
Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Centers – Program Overview
SAMHSA has awarded ten Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Centers (ROTA-R). This newly awarded program officially started on October 1, 2022. The purpose of the ROTA-R is to develop and disseminate training and technical assistance addressing opioid and stimulant use affecting rural communities. The ROTA-R teams are expected to facilitate the identification of model programs, develop and update materials related to the prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery activities for opioid use disorder (OUD) and/or stimulant use disorder, and ensure that high-quality training is provided.
The ROTA-R program is comprised of ten Regional Centers, with one located in each of the ten HHS regions.
The ROTA regional centers will develop and disseminate training and technical assistance for rural communities addressing opioid and stimulant issues affecting their communities.
ROTA-R cooperative agreements are authorized under Section 509 [42 U.S.C 290bb-2] of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.
Rural Opioid Technical Assistance (ROTA) Regional Centers
Click each REGION BUTTON to learn more about each ROTA Center.
NORTHEAST
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
NE & CARIBBEAN
New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and
the Virgin Islands
PA, DE, MD, VA, WV
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
and West Virginia
SOUTHEAST
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee
GREAT LAKES
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin
AR, LA, NM, OK, TX
Arkansas, Louisiana,
New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
IA, KS, MO, NE
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska
MOUNTAIN PLAINS
Colorado, Montana,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau
NORTHWEST
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon,
and Washington
In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the rates of drug overdose deaths were rising in rural areas, surpassing rates in urban areas. Moreover, a 2017 survey by two leading farm groups, the National Farmers Union and American Farm Bureau Federation, found that nearly 50 percent of rural Americans, and 74 percent of farmers, have been directly impacted by opioid misuse.
Although overdose death rates in urban areas are now on average higher than overdose death rates in rural locations, opioid misuse remains a consistently severe and growing problem.
SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance use and mental illness on America’s communities.
1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) • 1-800-487-4889 (TDD) • www.samhsa.gov