Center for Drug Policy and Prevention Announces Eight Awardees Across Seven States for Community-Based Overdose Reduction Program Grants
December 11, 2020
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore's Center for Drug Policy and Prevention (CDPP) has awarded federal grant funds to eight community-based programs across the nation that use public health/public safety partnerships to reduce overdose deaths, which is the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. The Federal Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Interdiction Initiative focuses on efforts that:
- use evidence-based approaches to implement or enhance community-based programs aimed to reduce overdose incidents, particularly in the regions of the United States with the highest rates of fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses; and
- support and promote collaboration between public safety and public health agencies to ensure that overdose reduction efforts are aligned and that communities benefit from a comprehensive and coordinated response.
The awardees are:
Florida Department of Health - Broward County $115,000
Broward Restaurant (and hospitality industry) Educating Against Drugs (BREAD)
BREAD will provide outreach to hospitality businesses, including restaurants, bars, hotels/motels, movie theaters, and night clubs by funding health educators who will provide education on the dangers of substance use disorders (SUD), the importance of promoting a workplace that supports sobriety, how to recognize when an employee may have an SUD, and how to link employees in need to SUD treatment resources. The health educators will be joined by a Broward County Sheriff's Office deputy, who will provide naloxone training and a naloxone kit to the employers. The Florida Department of Health will develop a toolkit that can be left with owners/managers, and will work with the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program to identify areas with high overdose rates and/or high arrest rates for drug-related charges, and prioritize outreach in those areas.
Brandeis University, Boston, Mass. $299,149
One2One: Engagement to Recovery Using a Police-Led Novel Intervention
The grant will fund programming for the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative's One2One: Engagement to Recovery, which entails police officers and community partners distributing fentanyl test strip kits by offering referrals, information about relevant services, and other recovery tools to adults who use drugs and their friends and family. It funds the evaluation, compensation, and incentives for participating agencies and informants, including partnership with Brandeis University. One2One is a pilot-tested, evidence-based, police-led intervention project across Massachusetts and Maine whose goal is to increase engagement in substance use related services and risk reduction supports among people using stimulants and opioids who are at risk of fatal overdose.
Health Resources in Action, Boston, Mass. $91,417
Wheels of Hope: Transportation to Treatment for Individuals at Risk of Overdose
Funding will support project management, transportation service delivery, and community engagement for Wheels of Hope, which allows people experiencing substance abuse disorders (SUD) to schedule and receive rides to SUD treatment appointments and programs. The organization also collaborates with regional community correction centers.
The CLASS Agency, Detroit, Mich. $146,650
Bridging the Gap—Offering Treatment at Points of Crisis
The CLASS Agency will expand its evidence-based community-level intervention, Project ASSERT, by providing access to treatment at points of crisis, including arrest and at the emergency department. CLASS will convene a task force with the Detroit Health Department, the Detroit Police Department, and Families Against Narcotics to pilot this intervention, in which police officers will be able to call peer recovery coaches when responding to emergency calls for persons who are experiencing addiction. Pre- and post-evaluation assessments will also be used to measure changes in perceptions of the opioid crisis from the community and police perspectives, and changes in trust between the police and the community, to measure the efficacy of the intervention. CLASS will implement a community-wide media campaign to educate the community on the importance of this intervention.
City of Manchester (N.H.) Health Department $149,891
Manchester Crisis Response Unit: United in Harm Reduction
In January 2020, the Manchester Fire Department piloted a Crisis Response Unit to provide direct support and resources to individuals who are post-overdose. The Manchester Health Department will expand this work by using a combination of spatial mapping through the Overdose Mapping Application Program and social network analysis to identify high-risk and high-influence individuals for proactive, targeted intervention in the Manchester community. By using these tools, the Department will maximize the effectiveness of harm reduction for overdose prevention, including facilitating referrals to addiction and mental health services, food and housing assistance, and other basic needs, in an effort to reduce both the risk of repeat overdose and the rate of overdose fatalities.
The Research Foundation for SUNY - University at Albany $286,516
Hope Not Handcuffs—Hudson Valley, A Pre-Arrest Diversion Program for Persons Who Use Drugs
Hope Not Handcuffs—Hudson Valley (HNH-HV) began implementation in the Mid-Hudson region of New York in January 2019. It encourages persons who use drugs to enter a local police station to be connected with a community volunteer who can find a substance use treatment option for him/her HNH-HV also offers a peer recovery coach to support sustained drug use recovery. Funding will support process and outcome evaluations by the University at Albany School of Public Health to identify: 1) short-term (four months) life trajectories of the HNH-HV participants in terms of self-reported experiences with overdose, substance use, and quality of life; and 2) factors associated with successful HNH-HV implementation. The budget will be used to hire staff to implement the program and collect data for the outcome evaluation, to hire peer recovery coaches, and to fund the University of Albany's evaluation-related activities.
Clackamas County (Ore.) Public Health Division $207,907
Project Hope: Recovery Supports for Overdose Survivors and Those Navigating the Road to Recovery
Project Hope is a collaboration of community partners whose response to opioid use and overdose includes a multi-disciplinary approach. Community paramedics, public health professionals, peer mentors, and law enforcement collaborate to respond to those in need. This unique group identifies, refers, and supports those suffering from addiction through the complicated path of recovery. Project Hope uses lifesaving incidents, such as a non-fatal overdoses, as opportunities to serve as life-changing events. Using EMS reports, law enforcement, and clinic referrals, the Project Hope team follows up with those in need and engages individuals suffering from addiction. Once a connection is made, the supports are put into place to assist with recovery. Project Hope addresses the social determinants of health and adverse childhood events in their approach to support the individual's specific needs by connecting them to valuable community resources.
Partnership to End Addiction $270,000
Spike Auto Text Program: Pilot in Maryland, Maine, and Oneida County, N.Y.
Funding will be used to ensure that free, direct, notification based on the Overdose Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) data will be sent to families, recovery organizations, treatment providers, and other community organizations—essentially anyone or any organization that can proactively use the alert to prevent overdose deaths related to the local spike in overdoses. Subscribers will have the option to receive free, customized messages from our "Hope and Help by Text" program. The grant will support development of the tech platform, media, program coordination, marketing and communications and program evaluation.
CDPP Executive Director Tom Carr stated, "We're excited to fund these innovative, community-based programs. Many have been providing impactful programs for years, while others are looking to expand their offerings to their constituents. We're looking forward to seeing how the funds will improve their function and their ability to save lives."
Learn more about UB's Center for Drug Policy and Prevention.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.