Our Daily Show Interview! Alexandria- Centerstone: RCORP
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ALTON - Centerstone’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) aims to prevent substance use before it starts by supporting children.
Alexandria, the clinical coordinator for the Illinois RCORP, explained that the federally-funded grant program provides free mental health support for youth ages 3–18. The program also connects parents and families with other services through their coordinated care approach.
“Our theory is if children receive the mental health support they deserve at an early age, they are less likely to engage in substances,” Alexandria said. “We just want to let everybody know what we are here to help, and our goal is to help each individual who connects with Centerstone to have a transformative experience so that they can thrive.”
In Illinois, RCORP serves families in Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Franklin, Macoupin, Montgomery, Perry, Saline, Union and Washington counties. These counties experience higher rates of poverty and opioid use per capita, and there is less access to mental health resources.
Centerstone’s counselors collaborate with schools and families to provide telehealth mental health support to youth, but they also work with the child’s family members to connect these parents, grandparents and others with mental health and substance use services. Alexandria noted the importance of supporting these family members as well.
“One of the reasons that young people are frequently in the situation they’re in is that their parents didn’t receive the support they deserved when they were young,” she explained. “That's part of the reason we would like to provide that support for family members now.”
She added that “everyone exists within a larger system,” and Centerstone aims to support individuals as members of these larger systems and communities. To meet this goal, their coordinated care approach connects families and individuals with other providers in the area.
“For us, counselors are your life coach, your support team. And most support teams include multiple members,” Alexandria said. “When we think of an individual as they fit into a larger community, we need more people on the team. So a big part of what we do at RCORP is connecting individuals with their larger team and making sure that they’re aware of all the support they could have if they were connected to the right resources.”
Alexandria emphasized that Centerstone is always looking to collaborate with schools and help more families. For more information about the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, including how to access services, click here. Visit the official Centerstone website at Centerstone.org for more information about the organization’s work and resources.
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