Tuesday, May 7, 2024
5/7/2024
Access Community Health Network (ACCESS) is enhancing Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) services in DuPage County to meet the needs of low-income, vulnerable individuals with opioid addiction and dependency. The enhanced services and program funded through this request will serve ACCESS West Chicago Family Health Center in West Chicago and Access Martin T. Russo Family Health Center in Bloomingdale, both in DuPage County. Enhancements will include (1) increased program staff to support patients and community members experiencing Substance Use Disorder, (2) audits of opioid prescriptions accompanied by provider education, and (3) promotion of MAT services in the DuPage community. Opioid overdose and mortality rates have grown at an alarming pace in DuPage County over the last decade. The number of deaths attributed to opiate overdoses in DuPage County was called a public health epidemic in 2013 by the DuPage County Coroner. In 2016, the number of deaths in DuPage due to fentanyl overdose increased by 100 percent from 2015, and deaths due to a combination of heroin and fentanyl increased 370 percent. There were 275 opioid-related deaths in DuPage County in 20192. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preliminary national data for the one-year period ending in November 2021 predicts a 15.7 percent increase in drug overdose deaths. According to the 2018 report The Opioid Crisis in Illinois: Data and the State’s Response, DuPage County was among the Illinois counties with the highest number of opioid-related emergency department visits with 410, as well as the highest number of hospitalizations with 178. At these sites, our patient population is majority Hispanic and white with 67 percent of patients identifying as Hispanic and 29 percent identifying as White in 2021. Over half of patients seen at these sites use Medicaid for payment. All ACCESS services are available to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. ACCESS serves approximately 695 unique patients annually through its MAT program using an integrated primary and behavioral healthcare model. This funding will support greater access to MAT services for more DuPage County community members through increased program staff, local outreach and education, and more nuanced provider prescribing tracking and associated guidance. Because Federally Qualified Health Centers such as ACCESS can bill Medicaid for the medications and supportive services that are integral to a successful MAT program, this funding will support services for patients who are not Medicaid-eligible, or services that are not Medicaid-billable. Our model includes a destigmatized environment in a medical home setting, cultural and linguistic competency with community-based staff, access to all individuals regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, and integrated risk reduction and education to prevent overdose.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
