‘Breaking the Cycle:’ Four Upper Peninsula Organizations Use Grant Funds to Help Their Communities Recover from Substance Use Disorder

Prevention,Behavioral Health,Opioids,BCBSM Foundation,Social Mission

‘Breaking the Cycle:’ Four Upper Peninsula Organizations Use Grant Funds to Help Their Communities Recover from Substance Use Disorder

09.27.2024 | 6 min read

Predominantly rural regions – like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) – often see the devastating effects of substance use disorder (SUD) in their communities.

Approximately 638,000 Michigan residents experience an SUD, but only 20% (127,600) receive treatment, according to 2022 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) data. According to the most recent data published by the Michigan Inpatient Hospitalization Files dashboard, in 2019, the 15 Upper Peninsula counties reported 49 hospitalizations specific to opioid-related overdoses.

Statistics like these highlight the need to address gaps in service for individuals and families in the UP that experience SUD and opioid-related overdoses. Four community organizations are making a difference on these fronts since receiving $490,000 through “UP Supporting Recovery Communities” grant funding in 2022 from selected members of the Michigan Opioid Partnership (MOP): Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, and Superior Health Foundation, along with community partners the Michigan Health & Hospital Association and the Upper Peninsula Health Plan.

Organizations that received grant funding are:

Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Inc.
Superior Housing Solutions
The Eastern UP Opioid Response Consortium
The Western UP Health Department

Here are the outcomes these organizations have achieved in two years since receiving funding:

Western UP Health Dept. bolsters jail-based services through its “Facing Addiction through Community Engagement” (FACE) project

Research over the last 20-plus years has demonstrated reduced rearrest and reconviction rates, longer time to rearrest, and fewer arrests during follow-up for those participating in in-jail drug treatment.

The Western UP Health Dept., located in Hancock, Michigan, made incredible strides with its jail-based services, according to Program Director Gail Ploe, who noted that one of the department’s biggest successes from their jail-based services has been the ability to advocate for services for incarcerated individuals by giving them a voice. With permission from jail administrators and releases of information from participants, they were able to record a group of women talking candidly about their needs and thoughts on what communities can do to help those with SUD. The brief-but-impactful recording has helped identify the need for interventions during incarceration.

Additionally, in the first year of the department’s FACE program, 11 women participated in support groups; 18 women participated in year two. Their women’s group continues to be recognized as one of the two weekly required self-help meetings for 97th District treatment court participants. They share information about the group with any women accessing SUD-related services through their Syringe Service Program and jail-based programs.

“One of the most important changes we can make in treating addiction is helping our community see that ‘those people’ are our people – our children, our neighbors, our friends, our family members,” Ploe said. “When we move beyond shame, judgment, and punishment, we can all do a better job of helping the people who need our help the most.

Eastern UP Opioid Response Consortium’s “Alger-Luce Road to Recovery Project” provides access to resources to people in jail and helps aid in their recovery

The Eastern UP Opioid Response Consortium staffed by the Luce, Mackinac, Alger, and Schoolcraft (LMAS) District Health Department played a major role in the Alger-Luce Road to Recovery Project.

The primary focus of the project was to reduce the number of repeat offenders in Alger County Jail. The peer recovery work accomplishes impact that can’t be overstated.

LMAS’ peer recovery specialist advocates for those in the process of reaching recovery by traveling with them to treatment court meetings to show how they progressed once receiving access to resources that jumpstarted their recovery. They have also helped guide people to months of sobriety and improved their housing and job opportunities.

LMAS Health Education Coordinator Josh Mickelson noted that if no one advocates for people with substance use, their chance of recovery is minimal. He said attending the drug court meetings and having a different perspective on each client was also something that drug courts appreciate.

“Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan allowed LMAS to expand services to a population who had never had access to these resources,” Mickelson said. “Bringing these services to this population allowed us to create long lasting relationships and show these clients that there are other options available in their lives. In many cases when meeting with clients they told us that they had never had someone who genuinely cared about their recovery. Many of the people who we worked with had cycled in and out of jail. Breaking the cycle was the main component of this, and we have seen many successes of people who broke through to make huge strides in their recovery.”

Superior Housing Solutions, Great Lakes Recovery Centers help individuals in recovery obtain housing, employment

Funding from the grant allowed Superior Connections Recovery Community Organization – formerly known as Superior Housing Solutions – to add a community health worker (CHW) to its existing Community Health Worker Program and gain certification as a Recovery Community Organization.

The CHW served over 200 unique individuals in the past three years. In the last two years alone, the CHW team housed 71 individuals in permanent housing. In 2024, the CHW team helped 31 people gain access to residential substance use treatment. The organizations also reports that 86% of clients in the program are actively engaged with their primary care doctors.

Recovery Community Organizations are led by representatives from their local recovery community and mobilize resources to increase long-term recovery. They are recognized for meeting high standards.

Great Lakes Recovery Centers (GLRC) has provided recovery support for individuals with SUD and their family members across the UP since the 1970s. GLRC knows that for people in recovery, meaningful employment can be a powerful driver of sustained recovery.

“Rebuilding Lives After Addiction” benefited 57 consumers through a client-centered approach that focused on helping them build resumes, identify and apply for jobs online, receive assistance with barriers such as transportation, housing and childcare, as well as obtain clothing for interviews and practice interview questions.

GLRC staff noted that the attitude and workability of prospective employers softened over the course of the project as they started to see true successes for people in early recovery. The support provided by peer coaches that worked with clients and employers was attributed to this shift, which led to a greater willingness for employers to reach out to the recovery community for some of their workforce needs.

The Michigan Opioid Partnership

The MOP is a public-private collaborative to decrease opioid overdose deaths through prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and sustained recovery, meeting individuals where they are in their journey. The MOP is proud to see the progress made by organizations that received UP Supports Recovery Communities grants and is looking forward to their continued success.

The MOP has awarded grants statewide to hospitals, jails, and community organizations to prevent and treat opioid use disorder, including grants to support coalition development, harm reduction, and medication-assisted treatment programs.

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Photo credit: The Western UP Health Department