Reaching Rural: Advancing Collaborative Solutions

The National Association of Counties, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State Justice Institute (SJI) co-sponsored the Reaching Rural: Advancing Collaborative Solutions initiative. BJA, CDC and SJI supported this effort as part of an ongoing interagency partnership to strengthen collaboration between public safety and public health systems under BJA's Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Abuse Program. 

Reaching Rural was a 1-year initiative designed for rural justice and public safety practitioners, public health and behavioral health professionals, city, county and tribal leaders and community groups. Through this effort, practitioners and cross-sector teams convened to share best practices, explore innovative approaches and strengthen collaboration across agencies to address substance use in rural communities.