BVI SAMHSA 2018 MAT-PDOA - Abstract
MAT-PDOA: FOA#TI-18-009
Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Services for Homeless and Veterans with Opioid Use Disorder in Middle Tennessee
This project will address the worsening opioid abuse crisis in the state of Tennessee by expanding access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for 270 rural homeless and veterans with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in a 25-county catchment area, including 19 counties targeted by the local Homeless No More (HNM) Continuum of Care (CoC) in middle Tennessee. The project will incorporate a novel, comprehensive care model that integrates a variety of evidence-based approaches, comprising of medication, counseling, psychosocial therapies, and recovery support services to facilitate full recovery for this underserved population. This project will address a critical service gap in treatment services for those with OUD by offering accessible and effective care for homeless and veterans in primarily rural counties of Tennessee which are hard hit by the opioid crisis but has limited access to MAT services for OUD. In 2016, approximately 1,600 TN residents died as a result of an opioid overdose –– an increase from just over 1,400 in 2015; similarly, synthetic opioid deaths increased from 169 in 2015 to 294 in 2016. These figures are reflective of a larger trend in TN. The 2018 TN Dept. of Health Prescription Drug Overdoses Program reports that the age-adjusted overdose death rate (per 100,000 residents) increased from 17.8 to 24.6 between 2013 and 2016. The specific goals of this project are to increase in the number of individuals with OUD receiving MAT and a decrease in illicit opioid drug use and prescription opioid misuse at six-month follow-up. In working toward these goals, our care delivery model will provide assessment for OUD, illicit drug and alcohol dependence, co-occurring mental health, and physical health; and deliver a full continuum of services including integrated MAT with mental and physical health care, counselling, recovery support services (RSS), case management, transitional and permanent housing owned by the Buffalo Valley across middle Tennessee. Clients will also receive detox, inpatient and outpatient treatment, vocational training, transportation services, and relapse prevention counseling. In order to provide these expansive services, we will partner with other service providers, hospitals, ERs, law enforcement, faith-based entities, and employment agencies. The Buffalo Valley, Inc., with its large treatment infrastructure in Hohenwald, TN, 6 satellite facilities, and 603 housing units in surrounding areas, is well-positioned to serve this hard-to-reach population in middle Tennessee. The main goals of the project are: 1. To develop outreach and engagement strategies for recruitment of 270 primarily rural homeless and veterans with OUD (90 per year); 2. To conduct screening and assessments to deliver medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and OUD recovery services for primarily rural 270 homeless and veterans; 3. To expand evidence-based medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and psychosocial and recovery services for primarily rural 270 homeless and veterans with OUD, 4. To decrease illicit opioid, prescription opioid misuse, illicit drugs, and alcohol at six-month follow-up for 270 primarily rural homeless and veterans with OUD.
