News

Yuma, Arizona (January 5, 2024).- Two extensions of Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. were awarded among 17 agencies in Arizona by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) as part of the First Round of Justice Reinvestment Grants to Arizona Nonprofits recently announced.

Former Arizona State Senator Ms. Amanda Aguirre, President and CEO, Regional Center for Border Health, Inc., confirmed that the 5-year grant will be used to continue serving Yuma and Parker communities with the Transitional Living Care Program (TLC) that offers men and women in recovery for a substance abuse disorder the perfect combination of safety structure and stability in a professional, community-based, affordable house environment.

“RCBH is committed to strength our community by improving the lives of individuals who are ready to return to independence and to provide them with the tools and confidence needed to live a life absent of alcohol and drug dependency,” she added.

In a press release, ADHS explained that the Justice Reinvestment Program was created through the passage of Prop 207 in November 2020.

The proposition legalized recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and older as well as created initiatives to increase safety and community resilience around arrest and incarceration, including the Justice Reinvestment Program.

According to ADHS, the Justice Reinvestment Program is administered by the ADHS Office of Health Equity, which uses a community-centered, data-driven approach to running the program. 

The Office started by completing a statewide data and funding landscape analysis to determine which local communities were most impacted by drug enforcement, arrest, and incarceration. The analysis identified priority communities across the state, where 18 listening sessions were held. Listening session participants expressed the following services would be beneficial for their communities:  

• Neighborhood safety and community gathering infrastructure (such as parks, community centers, etc.)
• Cultural awareness training
• Accessible options for healthy food
• Affordable and accessible housing 
• Stigma reduction and culturally appropriate health services
• Technology re-training for people who have been formerly incarcerated
• Positive youth development 
• Substance use education and prevention

The Office of Health Equity then released a competitive grant application open to qualified Arizona nonprofits to support Justice Reinvestment programming this year. The awarded projects address all of the key focus areas outlined in the statute and in the community listening sessions and represent communities from across the state of Arizona.

The Office of Health Equity will develop a robust program evaluation process to ensure that funded projects serve the intended communities and create a positive impact. The program evaluation will assess if awardees meet their determined goals and the data collected will be used in efforts to continuously improve the program. The Office will also facilitate a Community of Practice for all awardees and interested stakeholders to share best practices, lessons learned and build partnerships to support the communities served.  

To learn more about the Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. Transitional Living Care Program, please call (928) 315-7910.

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Media Contact: Alex Bejarano, Community Liaision & Public Relations Director

                                                   928-315-7910 / abejarano@rcfbh.org