Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directors
ObjectiveRacial and ethnic disparities exist in opioid-related overdose death rates and engagement with substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Emerging peer recovery support services (PRSS) show promise in engaging and supporting marginalized populations. Recovery community centers (RCCs) are an im...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1532488/full |
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| author | Diadora DeCristofaro Allison Futter Alivia Williamson Susanne S. Hoeppner Lauren A. Hoffman Marion J. Riggs Judeline Joseph Julia Ojeda Amy A. Mericle Vinod Rao Philip X. Rutherford Patty McCarthy Bettina B. Hoeppner |
| author_facet | Diadora DeCristofaro Allison Futter Alivia Williamson Susanne S. Hoeppner Lauren A. Hoffman Marion J. Riggs Judeline Joseph Julia Ojeda Amy A. Mericle Vinod Rao Philip X. Rutherford Patty McCarthy Bettina B. Hoeppner |
| author_sort | Diadora DeCristofaro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveRacial and ethnic disparities exist in opioid-related overdose death rates and engagement with substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Emerging peer recovery support services (PRSS) show promise in engaging and supporting marginalized populations. Recovery community centers (RCCs) are an important and growing source of community-based PRSS. Our goal was to examine if RCCs serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, or other racial/ethnic communities successfully engage marginalized populations in their community and if there are differences in the service models and functioning of RCCs serving different racial/ethnic communities.MethodsWe conducted exploratory secondary analyses of a nationwide survey of RCC directors (n = 122), in which directors described their RCC in terms of logistics, footprints, service model, linkages, services, and attitudes toward medication treatment. Analysis of variance and chi-square tests were used to compare RCCs serving different communities (i.e., Black, Hispanic/Latino, Other) on these variables, where “serving a Black/Hispanic/Latino community” was operationally defined as being in a ZIP code with more than double the national prevalence of Black (13.6%) and Hispanic/Latino (19.1%) individuals in the United States.ResultsOn average, the median [IQR] percentage of Black participants within RCCs serving Black communities was 45% [30–63%] (51% of residents in the RCCs' ZIP codes were Black); in RCCs serving Hispanic/Latino communities, 50% [28–60%] of RCC participants were Hispanic/Latino (57% of residents in the RCCs' ZIP codes were Hispanic/Latino). Across 70 variables describing the RCCs' service model and functioning, only two statistically significant differences emerged between RCCs serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities, using an alpha of 0.05. RCCs differed in offering 12-step mutual aid groups (lowest in RCCs serving Hispanic/Latino communities; p = 0.03) and the existence of direct collaboration with clinical sites providing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD, most common in RCCs serving Black communities; p = 0.03).ConclusionThe overall RCC model appears to be consistent across racial/ethnic settings in terms of footprints, model of care, services offered, connection to relevant systems and organizations, and attitudes toward medications. Given the commonly observed racial/ethnic disparities in SUD care, the robustness of the RCC model across communities is promising. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cb111cd6f71c42e280397f86ff246b70 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-cb111cd6f71c42e280397f86ff246b702025-08-20T03:33:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-07-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15324881532488Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directorsDiadora DeCristofaro0Allison Futter1Alivia Williamson2Susanne S. Hoeppner3Lauren A. Hoffman4Marion J. Riggs5Judeline Joseph6Julia Ojeda7Amy A. Mericle8Vinod Rao9Philip X. Rutherford10Patty McCarthy11Bettina B. Hoeppner12Psychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United StatesPsychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United StatesPsychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United StatesPsychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United StatesPsychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United StatesDepartment of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesPsychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United StatesRecovery Inspired Opportunities, Boston, MA, United StatesAlcohol Research Group/Public Health Institute, Emeryville, CA, United StatesPsychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United StatesBlack Faces Black Voices, Rochester, MN, United StatesFaces & Voices of Recovery, Washington, DC, United StatesPsychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United StatesObjectiveRacial and ethnic disparities exist in opioid-related overdose death rates and engagement with substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Emerging peer recovery support services (PRSS) show promise in engaging and supporting marginalized populations. Recovery community centers (RCCs) are an important and growing source of community-based PRSS. Our goal was to examine if RCCs serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, or other racial/ethnic communities successfully engage marginalized populations in their community and if there are differences in the service models and functioning of RCCs serving different racial/ethnic communities.MethodsWe conducted exploratory secondary analyses of a nationwide survey of RCC directors (n = 122), in which directors described their RCC in terms of logistics, footprints, service model, linkages, services, and attitudes toward medication treatment. Analysis of variance and chi-square tests were used to compare RCCs serving different communities (i.e., Black, Hispanic/Latino, Other) on these variables, where “serving a Black/Hispanic/Latino community” was operationally defined as being in a ZIP code with more than double the national prevalence of Black (13.6%) and Hispanic/Latino (19.1%) individuals in the United States.ResultsOn average, the median [IQR] percentage of Black participants within RCCs serving Black communities was 45% [30–63%] (51% of residents in the RCCs' ZIP codes were Black); in RCCs serving Hispanic/Latino communities, 50% [28–60%] of RCC participants were Hispanic/Latino (57% of residents in the RCCs' ZIP codes were Hispanic/Latino). Across 70 variables describing the RCCs' service model and functioning, only two statistically significant differences emerged between RCCs serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities, using an alpha of 0.05. RCCs differed in offering 12-step mutual aid groups (lowest in RCCs serving Hispanic/Latino communities; p = 0.03) and the existence of direct collaboration with clinical sites providing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD, most common in RCCs serving Black communities; p = 0.03).ConclusionThe overall RCC model appears to be consistent across racial/ethnic settings in terms of footprints, model of care, services offered, connection to relevant systems and organizations, and attitudes toward medications. Given the commonly observed racial/ethnic disparities in SUD care, the robustness of the RCC model across communities is promising.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1532488/fullrecoveryrecovery community centerstreatment modelsdisparities (health racial)community recovery capital |
| spellingShingle | Diadora DeCristofaro Allison Futter Alivia Williamson Susanne S. Hoeppner Lauren A. Hoffman Marion J. Riggs Judeline Joseph Julia Ojeda Amy A. Mericle Vinod Rao Philip X. Rutherford Patty McCarthy Bettina B. Hoeppner Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directors Frontiers in Public Health recovery recovery community centers treatment models disparities (health racial) community recovery capital |
| title | Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directors |
| title_full | Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directors |
| title_fullStr | Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directors |
| title_short | Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directors |
| title_sort | comparing recovery community centers rccs serving black hispanic latino and other communities an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of rcc directors |
| topic | recovery recovery community centers treatment models disparities (health racial) community recovery capital |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1532488/full |
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