Project REACH (Recovery, Engagement, Acceptance, Compassion, Hope) will provide enhanced and expanded substance use screening and treatment for adults in Knox and York Counties in Maine, areas with high rates for heroin use and trafficking as well as drug-related deaths. Leveraging the strength of our healthcare system and expertise in behavioral healthcare integration, Maine Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) is working to address the opioid epidemic ravaging our state through Integrated Medication Assisted Treatment (IMAT) using a hub and spoke model, partnering primary care with behavioral health in order to serve any member of our communities in need of treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) regardless of ability to pay. With the understanding that substance use disorder is a chronic brain disease, and in an integrated culture of compassion and respect, each individual referred is provided with a diagnostic evaluation that includes assessment for substance use disorders to include OUD as well as any other co-occurring mental health diagnoses.
At its core, Project REACH is designed to enhance engagement in OUD treatment at all levels. In order to meet project goals, Project REACH will train community providers in SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment); offer a consistent complement of evidence based practices (Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Seeking Safety) across systems; and will help clients as they transition through levels of care, ultimately increasing clients’ chances of staying in treatment. The addition of outreach clinicians and outreach nurses to engage more people in the treatment they need to recover from OUD and peer navigators to help ensure that clients stay in treatment with easy transitions through levels of care will lead to greater overall outcomes (increased physiological, psychological, and societal functioning as well as increased health and well-being) for those seeking treatment for OUD, and the project will serve 200 clients in year 1, 250 clients in year 2, and 300 clients in year 3 for a total of 750 clients aged 18 and over. An experienced Lead Evaluator will enable Project REACH to measure program outcomes, and findings will be used to guide program modifications throughout the grant period.