Our story
ORCCA strives to conduct research that reflects the voices and needs of small communities across Central Appalchia.
Central Appalachia, comprised of West Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Ohio, East Tennessee, and Western North Carolina, is the epicenter of the opioid crisis. While we can learn much from existing response efforts, the devastating impacts of opioid use disorder and overdose deaths continue to play out in county after county. There is an urgent need for culturally-competent approaches to prevent opioid misuse, provide treatment for opioid use disorder, support children and families harmed by the crisis, and strengthen workforce capacity to provide effective services.
Researchers, community members, students, and more gathered in Blacksburg, VA at the Inaugural ORCCA Retreat.
Launched in spring 2019, ORCCA was formed because we believe that collaborative, community-engaged research will discover effective solutions, faster.
Community members and researchers worked to prioritize ORCCA’s next steps.
Alongside communities, ORCCA aspires to serve as a leader, convener, and communicator of opioid research activities, outcomes, and successes across Central Appalachia, while interfacing nationally to contribute solutions to the broader crisis.
ORCCA’s foundational institutional members include East Tennessee State University, Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, Marshall University, University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, Carilion Clinic, and Ballad Health. This multi-state partnership allows university researchers, clinicians, students, the private sector, including major healthcare systems, local and state health organizations, and community members to share lessons learned and conduct research together throughout the region.
ORCCA was founded by a Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Funding # 460243).