Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
Community Renewal Team, Inc. (CRT) proposes to expand and enhance its current MAT program for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) with the following aims 1) target two high-need populations – ex-offenders and the homeless or unstably housed; 2) add two FDA-approved medications (sublocade and methadone; 3) launch a mobile MAT clinic; and 4) add contingency management (CM). Clients primarily will be residents of Hartford County, CT. Connecticut ranks 6th in the nation for prevalence of fatal opioid overdoses. Over the five years of the grant, CRT, Connecticut’s largest and oldest community action agency, will enroll 450 individuals with OUD – primarily people with histories of incarceration and/or homelessness. These two hard-to-reach subpopulations were selected due to their increased likelihood of using and dying from opioids. State data analysts have found that over one-half of deaths from opioid overdose in CT are among individuals with histories of incarceration and a 2019 Boston-based study found that people experiencing homelessness were nine times more likely to die from an overdose than those who were stably housed. Our proposed CRT Expanded MAT program will build upon our current initiative which is in the 95% percentile of its MAT cohort for enrollment and follow-up measurements. Retention has been our biggest challenge primarily due to remand rates among ex-offenders and their high incidence of housing instability. The inclusion of CM to address groups with poor adherence coupled with our Recovery Support Services (RSS), provided in-house or through our many partnerships, will directly tackle these retention issues. Such RSS services include, but are not limited to, housing assistance, peer support, testing for HIV and Hep C, and tobacco cessation. CRT emphasizes culturally sensitive care and offers numerous evidence-based practices and validated assessment tools as well as staff diversity. We strive to be responsive to language barriers – our staff includes individuals fluent in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cambodian, Vietnamese as well as Creole and Akan). Over this 5-year grant, CRT will enroll 450 participants (65 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, 100/year thereafter), a minimum of 70% will be drawn from one of our target subpopulations. Our goals for the program include a decrease in opioid use in the community by increasing access to MAT and RSS, increasing access to all MAT options and RSS, as well as a specific focus on engagement and retention through the introduction of a mobile MAT clinic and CM. Objectives will include program retention and medication adherence through 6-month post-intake. We will also monitor: (1) referral and uptake rates of services for RSS (e.g., HIV/Hep C testing, housing services, tobacco cessation) and (2) decrease in illicit opioid use as evidenced by self-report and urine toxicology
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).
