Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
The Wheeler Waterbury Medication Assisted Treatment (Waterbury MAT) Program will expand and enhance access to MAT services and recovery supports by extending culturally appropriate community outreach and engagement; nurse care management; integrated MAT substance abuse, mental health treatment, and primary health care services; and peer recovery supports for adults with opioid use disorders in the greater Waterbury, Connecticut community. Wheeler, a leading behavioral health services provider in CT, will implement the MAT Program at its Family Health & Wellness Center at 855 Lakewood Road in Waterbury for adults with opioid use disorders who live in the community. Waterbury’s overall poverty rate (23.4%) is more than double the statewide average and the city is diverse with 37.4% of residents identifying as Hispanic/Latinx, 18.8% as African-American/Black, and 37.8% as Caucasian. CT experienced 1,374 accidental overdose deaths in 2020, an 88.5% increase over 2015. The City of Waterbury had 343 accidental overdose deaths from 2015-2020, the second highest of any city in CT. Further, the overdose rate in Waterbury from 2018-2020 increased 74.4% from the three years prior. The Waterbury MAT program will enhance and expand services available at the Waterbury Family Health & Wellness Center by increasing MAT services and adding care management and peer supports. Services will include: community outreach, engagement, and awareness; walk-in comprehensive clinical assessments for co-occurring disorders; provision of MAT (Buprenorphine, Extended Release Naltrexone, and other FDA approved medications) utilizing strategies to increase compliance and reduce the risk of diversion; connection and linkages to community services to address social determinants of health; innovative interventions such as the use of the myStrength digital behavioral health application to engage and retain clients in treatment; peer supports; tobacco cessation services; and coordination of care with Ryan White HIV/AIDS services. A high quality process and outcome evaluation will determine the effectiveness of the implementation and client outcomes utilizing GPRA and other data from the electronic health record. Outcome objectives include: all Waterbury MAT participants will have a comprehensive recovery plan fully integrating MAT, behavioral health, primary health, and recovery support services to promote and sustain recovery; at least 65% of participants will increase retention and achieve favorable treatment outcomes; at least 75% of participants will reduce substance abuse; and at least 65% of participants will improve primary and mental health symptoms and treatment compliance. The Waterbury MAT Program will serve 100 adults each year for a total of 500 adults over the five-year grant period.
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).
