TN-ROCS Enhancement and Evaluation Project

The Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) was developed as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) legislation. COSSAP’s purpose is to provide financial and technical assistance to states, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support those impacted by illicit opioids, stimulants, and other drugs of abuse.

The objective of Category 1 is to encourage and support the development of comprehensive, locally driven responses to opioids, stimulants, and other substances that expand access to supervision, treatment, and recovery support services across the criminal justice system; support law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs for nonviolent drug offenders; promote education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by substance abuse.

Cocke County Government, located in the rural Appalachian Mountain region of eastern Tennessee, is applying for grant funding under Subcategory 1b in the amount of $899,488. This project serves Tennessee's 4th Judicial District, which includes Cocke, Sevier, Jefferson, and Grainger counties and has a total combined population of 212,069. The purpose of the proposed Tennessee Recovery Oriented Compliance Strategy (TN-ROCS) Enhancement and Evaluation project is (1) to increase the capacity of this innovative court-based intervention program to link individuals across the district at high risk of overdose to appropriate, evidence-based behavioral health treatment and recovery support services; and (2) to independently validate the TN-ROCS model, such that key findings related to program quality and implementation fidelity can inform current and future data-driven expansion efforts. This project includes partnerships between Cocke County, 4th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Duane Slone, Dr. Stephen Loyd, Dr. Jennifer Anderson, American Institutes for Research, and Rulo Strategies. All four priority considerations are addressed in this application. Cocke County is a geographically isolated rural area that is plagued by persistently high rates of poverty, substance use, and overdose fatality.

CA/NCF