Health Equity and Improvements Gained through Holistic Treatment (H.E.I.G.H.T) - The Health Equity and Improvements Gained through Holistic Treatment (H.E.I.G.H.T), a project of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Intervention Court (formerly drug court) that serves three Mississippi Delta counties (Leflore, Sunflower, and Washington), will expand the program's service delivery model to address the growing needs of the region’s adult population, particularly court involved Black/AA men and women between 18 to 49 years of age. The objectives of this expansion are to: (a) increase participants’ self-efficacy, resilience, and health outcomes by 70% through the development and implementation of a whole-person-centered, holistic curriculum; (b) increase the early identification and prompt placement of unduplicated participants who are either directly contacted or who are referred to the Fourth Judicial Circuit Intervention Court by 30%; (c) increase visibility of alumni personal narratives across the Fourth Judicial Circuit by raising awareness of stigma and the path to success by 30% through a deliberate media and messaging campaign; and (d) increase alumni and stakeholder integration of community engagement by establishing Community Action Partnership for Encouragement (C.A.P.E.) to assess and provide feedback on the Intervention Court’s implementation and practices Overall, the Mississippi Delta has a majority Black/AA population, and social determinants of health (SDOH) shape access to health, quality of education, and employment. Health behavior and decision making, including the use of substances such as alcohol, drugs, and even tobacco contributes to overall lower health outcomes. Most participants in the Intervention Court are Black/AA males, who are more likely to have lower reported socioeconomic statuses than other demographic groups. Mississippi law allows for each circuit to determine how it will implement its Intervention Court services. Current statutes allow participants up to five years to complete the program. State statute defines eligibility as offenders who have been charged with or convicted of felony non-violent offenses, including drug offenses, drug or alcohol abuse or dependence, and drug related property crimes. According to the Mississippi Opioid and Heroin Data Collaborative, in the first quarter of 2023, the Fourth Judicial Circuit ranked near the top among all districts for reported non-fatal drug overdoses for opioids, heroin, and stimulants per 100,000 people. By expanding the Intervention Court’s services, we will be able to increase our roster of eligible participants by 30%. We also propose to use more wraparound services, assuming a whole-person approach to addressing factors that may contribute to a participant’s inability to complete the program. We will use innovative interventions such as a multimedia strategy that engages alumni to tell their stories of substance use disorder and the path it took for them to complete the Intervention Court program. We will also engage more cross-sector partners, including law enforcement, defense attorneys, prosecutors, alumni of the Fourth Judicial Intervention Court, and community members. We project that we will serve 150 unduplicated individuals over the five years, with an average of 30 participants per year.
