Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
Missouri's PDO 2.0 project will prevent overdoses by training and equipping overdose first responders - primarily Peer Specialists and Community Health Workers - to administer naloxone, interact compassionately and effectively with people who use drugs, and connect people to appropriate treatment and recovery services. This projhect will also expand an novel mail-based naloxone program, reaching high-need individuals in Missouri's rural and low resourced areas. In 2018 and 2019, more than 60% of Missourir's overdose deaths occurred in one of three metropolitan regions (St. LOuis, Kansas City, and Springfield). An additional 25% occurred in a high-need predominantly rural corridor running along Missouri's Interstate-44. Initial figures suggest COVID-19 has caused a devastating 30% increase in overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020. The proposed project, PDO 2.0, will reduce the number of fatal opioid overdoses in Missouri and facilitate treatment and recovery service referrals for overdose survivors. The primary population served will be individuals who use opioids and are most ad-risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose. In Missouri, this highest risk group includes people who are Black (particularly Black makes who have the highest overdose rates of any group in Missouri), those living in one of the six urban or 11 rural counties with the most overdose deaths, and people who lack access to financial, housing, healthcare, and transportation resources. We plan to reach these individuals largely by working through the expanding workforce of Peer Specialists and Community Health workdxers, hiring expert consultants with lived substance use experience to train others and conduct street outreach work, and expanding a mail-based naloxone program. The five primary goals of the PDO 2.0 program are to: 1) Identify gaps: Assess and identify existing infrastructure and gaps, referral capacity, and training needs of overdose first responders and frontline workers in Missouri, especially in regions with the largest number of overdose deaths; 2) Crea\te new training: Develop and implement new in-person and virtual drug user health, harm reduction, and skills training for Peer Specialists and Community Health Workers; 3)Disseminate existing training: Expand dissemination of existing in-person and virtual OEND training curriculum for broad audiences of overdose first responders; 4) Distribute naloxone: Increase naloxone distribution in high-need areas with insufficient access through direct supplies and a mail-order program; 5) Facilitate service referrals: Increase knowledge and capacity for referrals to appropriate treatment and recovery services for overdose survivors and others at-risk of adverse events. Per year, we plan to train over 1,950 people (9,400 total), distribute over 4,200 naloxone kits (22,000 total), contribute to over 600 naloxone administrations (3,000 total), and refer 135 people to substance use services (675 total). The Missouri Department of Mental Health will lead this program in partnership with the University of Missouri-St. Louis-Missouri Institute of Mental Health, Prevented, the Missouri Network for Opiate Reform and Recovery, and community partners across the state.
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).
