TTC Harm Reduction Program (HRP) - Tarzana Treatment Centers, Inc. (TTC) will expand access to harm reduction services for residents of Los Angeles County (LAC). The population of focus will be adults ages 18+, primarily racial/ethnic minority (39% Latino; 15% Black; 4% Other/Mixed Race) males (69%) with substance use disorder (SUD) exiting TTC’s publicly funded inpatient detox or residential treatment programs and/or enrolled in recovery support services as well as people who use drugs (PWUD) participating in TTC’s Syringe Exchange Program (SEP), the majority (81%) of whom are homeless. Harm reduction services are critically needed in LAC to combat the negative consequences associated with drug use, especially among this vulnerable population. LAC has been grappling with twin opioid and methamphetamine epidemics alongside the rest of California and the U.S. for some time now and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the crisis leading to a 52% increase in accidental drug overdose deaths with rates increasing most for racial/ethnic minorities. Although TTC has championed harm reduction services for many years, service gaps diminish impact: 1) TTC has experienced an unprecedented increase in demand for harm reduction services that far exceeds its current capacity. TTC’s SEP does not have sufficient syringes or other supplies, such as fentanyl test strips and Naloxone, to meet growing demand nor is there sufficient staff to provide adequate overdose prevention services or referral and linkage services to critical services; and 2) TTC is a large agency with nearly 1,200 employees across 13 service sites in seven diverse communities across LAC. Harm reduction programs have been siloed within specific sites and not all staff are adequately trained in harm reduction principles and strategies. Furthermore, TTC has also not had the opportunity to address social stigma associated with PWUD and harm reduction services in the broader community. The proposed project will address these identified service gaps through capacity development and service expansion. The overall purpose of TTC’s Harm Reduction Program (HRP) is to improve TTC’s capacity to provide harm reduction services across all service sites, programs, and organizational levels and to expand harm reduction services, including syringe exchange and related services, overdose prevention education and naloxone distribution, and referral and linkage to behavioral healthcare, primary/specialty medical care, HIV/HCV prevention services, and other support services. In addition to conducting an organizational assessment of the agency’s current capacity to provide harm reduction and trauma-informed services and developing a strategic action plan to further integrate these services throughout the agency, TTC will conduct the following activities: 1) convene a Harm Reduction Advisory Council comprised of key stakeholders, including staff, patients, alumni, SEP participants, representatives from local community-based organizations serving the target population, etc. to assist TTC in developing/implementing the project; 2) provide support for the countywide Harm Reduction Steering Committee led by LACDPH SAPC to ensure all harm reduction efforts are in alignment with county-level goals and objectives; 3) develop and implement staff and community trainings promoting concepts of harm reduction to reduce stigma associated with PWUD and harm reduction services; 4) expand harm reduction services, including syringe exchange and related services, opioid prevention and naloxone distribution, and referral and linkage to service; and 5) develop/implement a communications campaign to reduce stigma. TTC will serve a minimum of 400 unduplicated individuals in Year 1 and 500 annually in Years 2 and 3 for a total of 1,400 unduplicated individuals served, with 1,120 of those being referred to support services and a total of 2,240 linkages being made during the three-year project.
