
Our Mission
The Missouri Opioid State Targeted Response (STR) and Missouri State Opioid Response (SOR) projects are expanding access to integrated prevention, treatment, recovery support, and harm reduction services for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) throughout the state. The State of Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH) is leading the project, with administration, implementation, and evaluation activities provided by the University of Missouri, St. Louis – Missouri Institute of Mental Health (UMSL-MIMH), as well as healthcare agencies, academic institutions, and content experts throughout the state.
Grant Goals
The prevention grant goals are to promote opioid-related primary prevention in schools and communities, lead chronic pain management education for providers, and to provide increased access to harm reduction services such as overdose education and naloxone distribution.
The treatment grant goals are to recruit, train, and support providers for the delivery of medication treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), to provide medication treatment for uninsured individuals with OUD that uses a chronic disease management model, to supply hospital-based screening, treatment induction, and connection with community care in the St. Louis area, with statewide expansion, and to increase access to telemedicine for OUD treatment.
The recovery grant goals are to support safe and effective recovery housing, build the workforce of certified peer specialists to help individuals meet their recovery goals, and promote wellness and recovery through recovery community centers in high-need areas. This will reduce stigma and provide information, engagement, and support for long-term recovery.
UMSL – MIMH Missouri Opioid STR/SOR Team
Rachel Winograd, Ph.D.
Project Director
Brittany Blanchard, MPH, RN
Evaluation Coordinator
Bridget Coffey, M.A., MSW
Resource Specialist
Jamela Jones, B.S.P.
Overdose Prevention Specialist, SOR, UMSL-MIMH
Kim Probst, LCSW
Director of Improving Systems of Care
Paul Thater
Treatement Data Manager
Lauren Green, MSW
Harm Reduction Program Manager
Rithvik Kondai, B.A.
Senior Overdose Prevention Coordinator
Keith Eldridge, B.S.
Computer Science
Lindsey Kon, MSW
Recovery Services and Research Coordinator
Morgan Farnworth, MA, Ph.D.,
Assistant Research Professor
Nico Ruiz, BA, CPS
Project Coordinator