Medication Assisted Treatment - Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction Program 2021 - The purpose of this project is to expand the current Medication Assisted Treatment - Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction Program which will enhance access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services for persons with an opioid use disorder (OUD) in East Harlem and the South Bronx. For the proposed program, FDA-approved medications for the maintenance treatment of OUD, will be provided in combination with comprehensive OUD psychosocial services, including, but not limited to: Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Recovery Coaching, cognitive behavioral-based medication management, Recovery Support Services, and other clinically appropriate services required for individuals to achieve and maintain abstinence from opioids. The target areas for this proposal are the highest-risk locations of the South Bronx, which has seen a 28% increase in fatal overdoses just in the first two months of 2021. The program will be centered in the neighborhood of Hunts Point, which stands out for the following contextual and environmental factors: One out of six adults in Hunts Point and Longwood has a college degree. Forty-one percent of adults have not completed high school, a rate higher than the citywide rate; The median household income is $25, 074, about one-third of the amount in New York ($72,108); the poverty rate in Hunts Point was 37.7% in 2018 compared to 17.3% citywide; the rate of avoidable hospitalizations among adults in Hunts Point and Longwood is more than double the citywide rate (2,709 vs. 1,033 per 100,000); and the serious crime rate was 17.6 serious crimes per 1,000 residents in 2019, compared to 11.3 serious crimes per 1,000 residents citywide (NYC DOHMH, 2018). Participants for whom a residential level of care is required will receive treatment in the certified residential program operated by Odyssey House and located on Wards Island, geographically situated between the South Bronx and Upper Manhattan. The overarching goal of the Medication Assisted Treatment - Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction Program is to increase access to, and participation in, MAT for diverse populations at risk for OUD. Objectives for the MAT program include the following: increase in the number of individuals with OUD receiving MAT; decrease illicit opioid drug use and prescription opioid misuse at six-month follow-up; mitigate the risk of diversion of such medications; engage clients in evidence-based practices and recovery support services designed to increase abstinence, reduce criminal justice involvement, increase pro-social behaviors, and facilitate long-term recovery. OH proposes to serve 30 unduplicated individuals in the first year, and 60 in each subsequent year for a total of 270 unduplicated individuals over the span of the five-year project period.
