Thursday, April 25, 2024
4/25/2024
Department of Public Health (DPH) Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (SAPC) and Department of Health Services (DHS) Office of Diversion and Reentry (ODR) propose Community Informed Harm Reduction Expansion (CIHRE) to enhance overdose prevention, safer drug use, and safer sex work services to people who use drugs (PWUD) and uplift their voices to inform programming countywide. CIHRE will serve PWUD across Los Angeles County (LAC) who are experiencing homelessness, for whom overdose fatalities remain the leading cause of death, and bolster harm reduction resources available in areas of higher concentrations of people of color (POC) and/or people who identify as LGBTQ+ who are experiencing homelessness. Between 2017 to 2019, PEH were more than 35 times more likely to die of an overdose in comparison to LAC’s general population. PEH in LAC are predominantly POC, with only a quarter reporting being White. Approximately 10.5% of PEH in LAC identify as either non-conforming or LGBTQ+. CIHRE expands existing mobile harm reduction services for PEH in LAC, including street-based outreach and education, linkage and referrals to needed health services, and distribution of supplies, including naloxone, safer drug use and sex work kits, and wound care supplies. Peer Support Workers will increase service capacity in Service Planning Area (SPA) 6 where 92% of PEH are POC and SPA 4 where 26% of young PEH identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or non-conforming and 12% identify as transgender or non-conforming. Peer Support Workers will engage participants in the field and share feedback with the Harm Reduction Steering Committee to create harm reduction programming responsive to participant needs. Goal 1: Reduce fatal overdoses, disease transmission and soft tissue infections among PWUD in LAC by expanding Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) harm reduction supply distribution, referrals and linkages for individuals throughout LAC. Each grant year, the project will: a) distribute at least 3,000 naloxone kits per SSP to PWUD, for a total of 9,000 naloxone doses over project period per SSP; totaling 63,000 for the entire project. Overdose prevention and response training will be provided with naloxone distribution as required by California law. b) Each participating SSP provider will purchase and distribute a minimum of $4,500 worth of harm reduction supplies (these include but are not limited to sterile syringes, wound care, and safer sex kits) per grant year for the duration of the grant period with a total estimate across the SSP contractor network of not less than $130,000 of harm reduction supplied purchase per grant year. Goal 2: Harm reduction services for PWUD will reflect needs/preferences of PWUD and be culturally responsive to the needs of PWUD of color and PWUD who identify as LGBTQ+. Objectives include: a) Peer workers will engage with PWUD about harm reduction services, quality of services, experiences receiving services and unmet needs at least twice per year, each year of the grant period. b) Findings from PWUD will be shared with HRSC at least one time per year, for the duration of grant period to inform project activities and overall strategy for harm reduction services in LAC. c) At least twice during grant period (by end of project years 2 and 3) HRSC will provide input on best practices and policies for harm reduction service delivery based on input from PWUD. d) By the end of project year 3, finalize sustainability plan that includes funding for continuing grant activities, addressing capacity building needs among harm reduction service providers and incorporation of best practices into policies of harm reduction service organizations.
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).
