Summary. Gotham Health FQHC, Inc. (GH) is proposing a program to increase the number of persons with OUD receiving MAT and decrease illicit opioid drug use and prescription opioid misuse. The population of focus will be African Americans and Latinos with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), in Brooklyn, NYC. GH will serve 300 unduplicated individuals annually (250 in year one) with grant funds and 1,450 over the entire project period.
Project name. Brooklyn MAT Program
Populations to be served. The populations of focus (POF) will be African Americans and Latinos with an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), including vulnerable populations such as homeless individuals, the formerly incarcerated, and those with co-occurring disorders such as HIV and hepatitis C. The geographic catchment area where services will be delivered will be Brooklyn with a focus on the high need areas of Central Brooklyn, East New York, East Flatbush, and Bushwick.
Strategies/interventions. Program activities will include: 1) Provide MOUD; 2) conduct assessments to determine whether patients meet the diagnostic criteria for OUD relative to MAT; 3) check the New York Internet System for Tracking Over Prescribing (I-STOP/PMP) or each new patient admission in compliance with any relevant state rules or regulations; 4) conduct screenings and assessments (including SBIRT) to determine co-occurring substance use and mental disorders, and will provide counseling, referral and coordination of services; 5) conduct outreach and engagement strategies within its harm reduction and SEP to identify clients in need of MAT; 6) ensure all applicable practitioners working on the grant-funded project obtain a DATA waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to more than 30 patients; 7) coordinate with other organizations and municipal agencies to ensure coordination of care and increase access to MAT services; 8) provide telehealth services via cell phone (texting and phone calls) for counseling, support and referrals to encourage retention in care and to monitor clients for additional service needs; 9) provide RSS, including peer recovery support services designed to facilitate long-term recovery; 10) harm reduction services; 11) implement evidence-based contingency management interventions to; 12) education, HIV/STI/HCV testing and screening, and risk reduction programming; and 13) develop and implement a low threshold approach that offers services and makes minimal requirements of patients. GH will implement the following EBPs: Motivational Interviewing (MI); Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); and Contingency Management (CM).
Project goals and measurable objectives. The program’s goals are 1) Increase the number of POF with OUD receiving MAT; and 2) Decrease illicit opioid drug use and prescription opioid misuse at six-month follow-up. The program’s objectives are to: Conduct outreach activities, recruiting at least 500 persons from the POF per year and enroll 300 into the program each year (250 in year one); Conduct screening and assessments of substance use disorders with 300 persons from the POF per year (250 in year one); Provide MAT and comprehensive OUD psychosocial services to at least 200 enrolled clients per year; Provide evidence-based practices to at least 80% of program participants; Conduct telehealth services with at least 70% of program participants to encourage retention in services; Provide recovery support services for at least 80% of program participants; Provide tobacco cessation programming for at least 50% of program participants; and Provide education, screening, care coordination, risk reduction interventions, screening, testing, and counseling for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases programming for at least 75% of program participants.