Transaction Description:
HARM REDUCTION - GCASA IS REQUESTING $375,000 PER YEAR FOR 3 YEARS FOR $1.125 MILLION TOTAL IN SAMHSA TCE: SPECIAL PROJECTS FUNDING TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HARM REDUCTION AND RECOVERY SERVICES IN GENESEE AND ORLEANS COUNTIES IN NEW YORK. THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT ARE: TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-BASED OVERDOSE PREVENTION, SYRINGE EXCHANGE SERVICES PROGRAMS, AND OTHER HARM REDUCTION SERVICES TO REDUCE OVERDOSE, ENGAGE PEOPLE IN HARM REDUCTION ACTIVITIES, AND SUPPORT PEOPLE SELF-IDENTIFYING AND PURSUING THEIR PATHS TO RECOVERY. FUNDING WILL BE USED EMPLOY STAFF FOR CASE MANAGEMENT, PEER RECOVERY SUPPORT, HARM REDUCTION-FOCUSED TREATMENT; ESTABLISH PROCESSES FOR REFERRAL TO AND PATIENT ACCESS FOR APPROPRIATE HARM REDUCTION, RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES, AND TREATMENT INCLUDING EXPANSION OF OPEN ACCESS HOURS; PURCHASE OF SYRINGE EXCHANGE AND HARM REDUCTION SUPPLIES; TRAINING FOR STAFF; AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION TO REDUCE STIGMA. IN 2020—THE LAST YEAR FOR WHICH DATA IS AVAILABLE--THERE WERE 32.5 OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATHS PER 100,000 POPULATION IN GENESEE COUNTY COMPARED TO 21.8 STATEWIDE AND MARKING A 26.7% INCREASE OVER 2018. GENESEE COUNTY SAW 56.4 HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (ED) VISITS FOR OPIOID OVERDOSES PER 100,000 COMPARED TO 55.0 STATEWIDE, INCLUDING 37.6 OPIOID OVERDOSE ED VISITS INVOLVING OPIOIDS OTHER THAN HEROIN PER 100,000 COMPARED TO 22.7 STATEWIDE. THERE WERE 353 TREATMENT ADMISSIONS FOR OPIOIDS ALONE. ORLEANS COUNTY SAW 62.9 HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS PER 100,000 POPULATION COMPARED TO 55.0 STATEWIDE AND 228 ADMISSIONS TO TREATMENT FOR OPIOIDS ALONE. WORK UNDER THIS PROJECT WILL INVOLVE UTILIZING AND EXPANDING EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN GENESEE AND ORLEANS COUNTIES. PARTNERS WILL PROVIDE REFERRALS TO GCASA, SHARE INFORMATION ON SERVICES OFFERED UNDER THIS PROJECT WITH THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE, COMMUNICATE THE PROJECT TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY THROUGH ONE-ON-ONE AND GROUP COMMUNICATIONS THAT OCCUR DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR NORMAL OPERATIONS AND/OR THROUGH THE USE OF THEIR WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, ETC., ASSIST WITH DATA GATHERING TRACKING REFERRALS MADE, AND OFFER FEEDBACK FOR PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT. THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS WILL PROVIDE HARM REDUCTION SUPPLIES SUCH AS SAFE SEX SUPPLIES TO THE PROJECT AT NO COST WHEN AVAILABLE TO THEM AT NO COST THROUGH THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. THE PROJECT WILL SERVE 30 PEOPLE IN YEAR 1 AND THEN 75 PEOPLE PER YEAR IN YEARS 2 AND 3 FOR A TOTAL OF 180 PEOPLE SERVED OVER THE 5-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD. THE PROJECT WILL RESULT IN MEASURABLE: INCREASES OPEN ACCESS HOURS AND SERVICES IN THE SERVICE AREA; INCREASES IN PEOPLE RECEIVING HARM REDUCTION SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT; DECREASES IN SOCIAL DETERMINANT OF HEALTH RISK SCORES; DECREASES IN ILLICIT DRUG USE, ALCOHOL USE, AND PRESCRIPTION OPIOID MISUSE; INCREASES IN POSITIVE SOBER ENGAGEMENT (E.G. PARTICIPATION IN EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, SOBER RECREATIONAL AND/OR ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES, AND/OR INCREASED SOBER SUPPORTS); INCREASES IN HOUSING STABILITY; AND DECREASES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT AND RE-INVOLVEMENT.
