HOGOC Letter of CommitmentRural Communities Opioid Response Program - Implementation
Letter of Commitment
Between
Hanley Center Foundation
and
Hendry, Okeechobee, and Glades Opioid Consortium (HOGOQ Collaborators
The purpose of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response
Program (RCORP) is to strengthen and expand prevention, treatment, and recovery services for substance use
disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). The overall goal of the program is to reduce the morbidity and
mortality associated with opioid overdoses in high-risk, rural communities by strengthening and expanding
access to SUD, OUD, and cooccurring disorder treatment to influence movement towards recovery.
This Letter of Commitment entered into between [Collaborating Agency] and Hanley Center Foundation,
outlines the details of the partnership between two entities through the three-year HRSA Rural Communities
Opioid Response -Implementation (RCORP-I) grant period from September 1, 2020 through August 31, 2023.
The RCORP-I grant will benefit Hendry, Okeechobee, and Glades counties therefore all members who
participate in Hendry, Okeechobee, Glades Opioid Consortium (HOGOC) must reside or provide services in at
least one of the three counties to ensure that award activities exclusively benefit populations in those counties.
Roles and Responsibilities of Hanley Center Foundation (HCF)
Hanley Center Foundation will contribute the following expertise toward completion of Rural Communities
Opioid Response -Implementation project activities:
• Staff have a wealth of experience executing successful grants within the communities we serve, including
successfully implementing the HRSA planning grant with HOGOC. The prevention team at HCF is fully
staffed with over 71 years of combined experience implementing evidence -based prevention programs.
• Staff have been implementing evidence -based prevention programs since 1998. Since 1998 HCF has
received over $15 million in grant funding (not including match) to implement prevention services in 22
counties in Florida. Since that first grant in 1998, HCF has successfully completed and/or exceeded grant
requirements consistently and continues to implement prevention services throughout the State of
Florida.
• Ryan Wertepny, the HOGOC Project Director, has been with Hanley Center Foundation since 2008.
Ryan is a national trainer of multiple evidence -based programs, and his experience in training teachers
and monitoring programs has made him a true asset to the organization. In addition, Ryan worked on the
Emerging Issues/Prescription Drug Task Force and initiated the Grow House Identification program for
identifying marijuana grow houses. Ryan has worked with law enforcement to establish strong
community alliances that would have a positive impact in the reduction of grow houses in Palm Beach
County. In 2014 the Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition awarded Ryan as the
Community (Civic) Leader Champion.
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Implementation
As the RCORP-funding recipient, Hanley Center Foundation will undertake the following activities:
1. Identify and build consortium of key stakeholders (HOGOC) to analyze outcomes of current local
and state initiatives to address the opioid epidemic in stated counties.
2. Develop and complete MOUs for all consortium members to foster collaboration and strategically
reach overarching goals.
3. Coordinate, execute, and govern HOGOC through face-to-face meetings and teleconference calls.
4. Disseminate process information and evaluation results to consortium and community members
concurrently with milestone completion.
5. Provide a Data Research/Analyst Consultant to compile local data and develop gap analysis to utilize
in HOGOC planning process.
6. Provide a Program Evaluator to develop evaluation instruments for process and outcome indicators,
develop a plan for tracking all indicators, and work with Project director to develop a plan to
disseminate evaluation results.
7. Recruit Community Coordinators to identify and recruit local collaborators to participate in the
consortium, assist in meeting grant deliverables, assist in organizing HOGOC meetings and
teleconferences, chair and provide minutes for all HOGOC meetings, and be the local key point of
contact for the general public.
8. Facilitate collaboration with HOGOC toward the completion of the gap analysis, strategic plan,
workforce plan, and sustainability plan under the guidelines of HRSA funding.
9. Administer HRSA funds on behalf of Rural Communities Opioid Response Program in a manner
consistent with federal grant guidelines.
Roles and Responsibilities of Collaborators
The collaborating organizations will contribute the following expertise toward completion of Rural
Communities Opioid Response -Implementation project activities:
• Share expertise and experience within organization's sector in an effort to strengthen the capacity and
efficacy of collaboration and project activities.
• Provide leadership to appropriate program objectives.
• Share aggregate performance data and information to appropriate partners to fulfill reporting
requirements.
All collaborating community partners/organizations will commit to undertaking the following activities:
1. Fully participate as a member of the HOGOC.
2. Fully participate in HOGOC meetings, when held locally, at least once per quarter.
3. Fully participate in the HOGOC teleconferences that occur once per month.
4. Assist in data collection and tracking, and willingness to share organization information among
HOGOC members.
5. Create partnerships and linkages to contribute to the overall success of the project.
6. Bring a willingness to be creative and to focus on solutions rather than barriers.
7. Participate in the formative, summative, and evaluation process required for successful
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Implementation
completion of Rural Communities Opioid Response Program -Implementation.
8. Provide any organizational expertise in the efforts of the consortium as needed such as; community
connections, information, data collection, analysis, evaluation, and experience as it relates to the
project.
9. Support the strategic, workforce, and sustainability plans developed for Rural Communities Opioid
Response Program -Implementation by HOGOC.
Through the formation of the Consortium, this purpose will be accomplished by community collaboration and
involvement across many sectors, with a focus on achieving desired, measurable and sustainable outcomes.
Hanley Center Foundation serves as the coordinating agency. Ryan Wertepny (HOGOC Project Director),
currently serves as the Consortium Chair and facilitates the Consortium Meetings. Consortium meetings will be
held monthly rotating between locations in Hendry/Glades and Okeechobee County, and members will receive
meeting invitations from Project Coordinators. Meetings will follow a standard meeting agenda format. Decision-
making (including the approval of documents) will be made by majority vote that will occur verbally or
electronically by consortium participates. Each consortium member/organization shall have one vote per
organization.
Funding
This agreement does not necessarily include any monetary exchange between the agencies. It is mutually
understood and agreed by and among the parties that Collaborators will provide at least 14 days' notice of the
intention to withdraw from Rural Communities Opioid Response Program -Implementation. If a Collaborator
chooses to withdraw, said Collaborator commits to make arrangements to complete assigned or pending activities
before termination.
All parties understand that by signing this agreement, the funding awarded from the RCORP-Implementation
grant is to be used for the activities proposed in the work plan, exclusively benefiting the populations of Glades,
Hendry and Okeechobee Counties, and not for the exclusive benefit of any one consortium member.
Signatures
Parties indicate agreement with the MOU and Letter of Commitment by their signatures.
Hanley Center Foundation, Inc. d.b.a. Hanley Foundation
Ryan Wertepny Date
Chief Program Officer / HOGOC Project Director
700 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Email: Ryan@hanleyfoundation.org Direct: 561-268-2351
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Implementation
[Collaborating Agency]
Q
Dowling R. Watford, Jr., Mayor
City of Okeechobee
55 S.E. Yd Avenue
Okeechobee, FL 34974
863-763-3372 ext. -9812 dwatford@cityofokeechobee.com
ATTEST:
Lane Gamiotea,. QMC, City Clerk
REVIEWED FOR LEGAL SUFFICIENCY:
John J. Fumero
John J. Fumero, City Attorney
Date