Re-Entering Offenders Achieving Recovery (ROAR)- ROAR will provided re-entry planning, treatment and case management services. - Project ROAR will expand its current partnership with Bristol County House of Correction and Jail (BCHOC) and collaborate with the Barnstable County Correctional Facility (BCC) to provide enhanced and expanded treatment and recovery support services to 440 adult male and female offenders/ex-offenders in Southeastern MA who have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD) or co-occurring mental health disorder (COD) over a five-year period. ROAR will also prioritize pregnant women and those with histories of or at high risk for opioid dependency.
To increase engagement in treatment among our population of focus, Steppingstone’s (SS) Parole Re-entry Navigator, based in the MA Region 8 Parole office, will collaborate with ROAR and correctional staff to provide a unified approach that supports individual treatment and reentry goals. Project ROAR staff includes a Project Director, Licensed Substance Abuse and Mental Health professionals, Psychiatrist, Clinical Nurse, integrated care facilitators, peer specialist/recovery coaches and Administrative Assistant. Services will begin in the correctional setting within four months prior to release, including brief screening and assessments for SUD/CODs, recidivism risk assessments (LS/CMI, George Mason Univ. RNR tool), case management, and transition planning, as well as various groups. Other EBPs include Seeking Safety, Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. During this period, staff strive to build rapport and trust with individuals.
Once participants are released into the community, the intensity of case management is increased to facilitate engagement in substance abuse and mental health treatment and recovery support services, such as family counseling, education and job training programs, social supports, mainstream resource benefits, faith based services, and other community services. ROAR will follow the RNR Model, with Integrated Care Facilitators performing ongoing evaluation to ensure the intensity and timeliness of planned treatments and support services are appropriately staged for each individual. SS is a provider of outpatient and residential treatment services and works with other SUD/MHD providers to connect ROAR participants to treatment which is best suited to their individual needs. SS also operates over 100 units of supportive housing for persons with SUD/CODs or HIV/AIDS. SS has formal written agreements in place with an array of local providers to provide access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), HIV and Hepatitis B and C testing, and all necessary wrap-around services. To address the opioid overdose epidemic, ROAR offers an opioid overdose prevention program and works closely with parole, probation, drug courts and other providers to efficiently identify and respond to high-risk situations. Measurable outcomes include: decreased substance use, recidivism, criminal justice involvement, and risky behaviors; and increased employment, housing stability, social connectedness, and improved functioning and well-being.
