Northern Border Rural Workforce

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program

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Outline map of Maine counties involved with this initiative in green outlines of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

The MCD Global Health Northern Border rural Workforce (NBRW) initiative, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)'s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, aims to improve provider retention in the most rural counties of Maine’s Northern Border Region through expanded training, placement, and supervision capacity for practitioners in substance use disorder (SUD) across the workforce.

NBRW focuses on:

  • Training: Evidence-based SUD/OUD and MOUD training.
  • Placement & Retention: Strengthen pathways from training to rural internships, employment, and continued growth.
  • Connection & Sustainability: Strengthen support, supervision, and long-term rural workforce capacity.
Location

Maine counties: Aroostook, Cumberland, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Oxford, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, and Washington

Partners

MaineGeneral Medical Center; Co-occurring Collaborative Serving Maine; Somerset Public Health/Redington-Fairview General Hospital; University of Maine; Aroostook Mental Health Center; Spurwink; and participating rural behavioral health and internship placement organizations

Funders

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)'s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program

Duration

2025–2029

Contact

Elissa Rowe
Senior Program Manager
erowe@mcd.org

Focus Areas

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Training

NBRW expands training opportunities for behavioral health professionals, students, case workers, and other members of integrated care teams.

Training activities include:

  • MOUD training for prescribers, with an emphasis on practical care in rural settings;
  • Project ECHO, providing case-based learning and connection with peers and experienced providers;
  • Supplemental SUD/OUD training for MSW students and other behavioral health trainees;
  • MHRT/P training and supplemental SUD/OUD education for individuals entering the behavioral health workforce; and
  • MATCH-ADTC training and supervisory capacity building to expand the availability of evidence-based behavioral health services for children and families.

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Internship & Workforce Pathways

NBRW works with academic programs, behavioral health organizations, supervisors, and rural communities to strengthen pathways from training to field experience and employment. By connecting trainees with rural organizations during their early careers, NBRW aims to increase exposure to rural practice, strengthen professional relationships, and support long-term behavioral health retention.

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Learning Communities

Working in rural behavioral health can make it difficult to access peers, consultation, and ongoing professional development. NBRW is developing a learning community for trainees to support peer learning and use evidence-based practices for working with adults and children. Supervisors will have access to existing peer networks and professional development opportunities to support their ongoing learning and supervision roles.

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Activities

  • Train University of Maine (UMO)'s MSW and graduate-level psychology and rural MHRT/C students in interprofessional, team-based SUD/MOUD, including a community-based MOUD ECHO and design learning modules and experiences for university and MHRT/C trainees.
  • Place UMO's MSW, psychology, and rural MHRT/C students in rural internships supported by stipends for the organization and, in some cases, stipends for the students.
  • Enhance retention of those placements via learning communities to support supervisors of placements and placed students.

Current Learning Opportunities📅

Meaningful Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Care: A Team-based Approach

Noon–1 p.m. (ET)
Every other Thursday, April 16–September 17, 2026

A graphic that shows each class date and topic per class with photo of care team in top right corner and yellow and green colors. Meaningful MOUD care: a team based approach. designed for health professionals and persons with lived experience. priority given to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

News & Updates

Build a Team-based MOUD Practice: Free Virtual ECHO Series

The Northern Border Rural Workforce program (NBRW) is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,598,549 with 0 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.

As a Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), MCD's NBRW provides access to a wide range of resources on relevant topics. Inclusion on this webpage does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, the contents by MCD's NBRW or the Health Resources and Services Administration.