A new research effort backed by nearly $4 million in federal funding wants to change that by building opioid addiction treatment into the rural primary care clinics where patients already go.
What the Grant Funds
Ohio University researcher Berkeley Franz and her team received a four-year award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to scale a model first tested in a pilot clinical trial.
The expansion will reach roughly 40 clinics in Ohio and West Virginia, with regional partners including the West Virginia Primary Care Association, the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, and Holzer Health.
The team will follow patient outcomes over time while testing whether a structured prescribing support and mentorship program can hold up in everyday primary care.
Closing the Gap Between Evidence and Practice
Franz said the research is less about proving the medicine works, which decades of studies have already shown, and more about getting it into routine care.
The plan centers on a model she describes as low touch, pairing short, practical training for clinicians with ongoing mentorship from experienced prescribers through Grant Medical Center’s Fellowship in Addiction Medicine.
Medications for opioid use disorder, often grouped under medication-assisted treatment (MAT), combine FDA-approved medicines such as buprenorphine with counseling and are widely considered the standard of care.
When a primary care provider can prescribe directly, patients may avoid the referral delays that cause some people to give up before treatment begins.
Why Rural Access Shapes Addiction Treatment
Through interviews with rural Ohio clinicians, the team found that many providers felt isolated and unsupported after their initial training, and that existing programs were too focused on urban settings.
Program manager Cheyenne Fenstemaker said those conversations directly shaped the prescribing support now being tested.
In many rural networks a single clinic may have no other opioid treatment prescriber to lean on, which makes mentorship a practical lifeline rather than a formality. Franz framed the goal as “scaling it, supporting providers and making sure patients can access it.”
What This Means for Treatment Seekers
For people living in rural communities, the project points toward a future where addiction treatment starts with a trusted local provider rather than a distant specialty clinic.
Easier access in primary care can shorten the path to medication, lower travel barriers, and ease some of the stigma that keeps people from asking for help.
Finding the Right Rehab
If you or someone you love is weighing options, a few steps can help. Compare rehab centers and treatment options by level of care and the substances they treat.
Ask whether a provider offers medication for opioid use disorder and how it works alongside counseling. Check insurance coverage for addiction treatment before the first visit so cost is clear up front.
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