Friday, May 3, 2024
5/3/2024
Project Abstract Erie County Health Department (ECHD) is the lead applicant for the “Saving Lives: Erie, Huron, an Ottawa Counties” project. Utilizing existing partnerships with First Responder agencies and developing partnerships with educational/career training institutions, we will train and equip First Responders and those entering medical and first responder fields to administer Naloxone to suspected drug overdose victims. ECHD has identified four primary goals for this project: First, to preserve life after an individual experiences overdose; Second, to connect overdose survivors to immediate treatment at ECHD’s medically-supervised detoxification center and to link survivors and their family members to appropriate follow-up care; Third, to expand Naloxone trainings into community sectors and career technical programs at area vocational institutions and schools; Fourth, to expand education efforts surrounding addiction, overdose, and Ohio’s Good Samaritan laws to community members and business owners as well as physicians and pharmacists. Since 2016 ECHD has equipped 1,131 First Responders and 4,715 community members with Naloxone training. Combined, 613 lives have been saved because of a Naloxone intervention, however, the overdose epidemic continues to take a toll on community resources and members. In 2020, 323 individuals from Erie County visited an Emergency Room because of overdose; that is a 76% increase in cases compared to 2019. Through September of 2021, 213 (284 annualized) individuals have presented to an ER because of suspected overdose. A similar story is found in both Huron and Ottawa counties, where year over year increases were 44% and 57% respectively. Many experts attribute this dramatic rise to the COVID-19 pandemic which cut many individuals off from needed support systems. The service area of Erie, Ottawa, and Huron counties in Ohio is home to about 172,000 people with an average median household income of $50,373; this is lower than both the national and Ohio median income rates. Nearly one-third (31%) of this population is considered low-income, and nearly 10% are living below the poverty level. The city of Sandusky in Erie County has the highest population concentration within the service area at nearly 25,000 people. The city has a significantly higher poverty rate (21.3%) than the surrounding counties and the state, putting residents here at greater risk for experiencing health disparities including addiction and substance abuse issues. Economic instability feeds directly into addiction rates as those who struggle to find and keep stable employment and housing are also at higher risk of substance abuse according to the National Institutes of Health. The three counties in our service area are HRSA-designated rural areas and are designated as both Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and Medically Underserved Community/Populations (MUC/MUP). Most individuals live in small villages or townships, further removing them from easy access to health care, emergency services, social supports, and other social services. Many have multiple health equity factors be they social, financial, educational or other putting them at great risk for experiencing health disparities. ECHD operates a fully-funded Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), a medically supervised detoxification unit, and supervises a female-only residential recovery housing unit on its main campus in Sandusky, Ohio. The FQHC serves over 4,100 unduplicated patients per year. The FQHC provides a broad range of primary, dental, and behavioral health care services. Because ECHD operates an FQHC, we have the ability to integrate primary, dental, and behavioral/mental health care into the drug overdose survivor’s treatment regimens. This project will save hundreds of lives and improve quality of life through virtually every sector of the community.
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).
