PARTNER SITE (Historical)
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC)
Overview/Goals
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC), in partnership with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS), is working to reduce the impact of opioid-use disorder (OUD) in Ohio by providing technology-assisted treatment opportunities. This project includes developing virtual-reality (VR) products that will enhance treatment services for people who use opioids, especially those in rural areas and in custodial facilities who lack easy access to other treatment options.
Approach
ODRC will build on existing efforts, including the Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team, a group that emphasizes reducing the supply of opioids, expanding drug-abuse-prevention programs, and expanding access to treatment for OUD. This project will also strengthen other recent strategies, such as expanding the use of prescriber guidelines and Ohio’s automated prescription reporting system and increasing education about and awareness of naloxone and expanding access to drug treatment.
Project partners will collaboratively design and implement treatment modules for people with OUD, delivered using Virtual Reality (VR). The project will target people with histories of OUD in two settings: prison and community. It will explore the efficacy of VR treatment and whether VR is an effective supplement or alternative to traditional treatment methods, especially when those traditional methods are otherwise unavailable.
Partners