The Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health's (DSAMH) State Opioid Response (SOR) project is a statewide initiative that will enhance and further develop the opioid and stimulant use disorder (OUD/STUD) system of care for all Delawareans while dedicating focused efforts on five key populations: 1) pregnant and parenting people; 2) racial and ethnic minorities; 3) justice-involved populations (including pre-trial, incarcerated, and re-entry); 4) LGBTQ+ individuals; and 5) young people (including both school-aged youth and transition-aged youth).
DSAMH is the single state authority for substance abuse and mental health services overseeing the treatment, rehabilitation, and support needs of Delawareans with serious mental illness, SUD, and co-occurring conditions through inpatient care, community-based mental health, substance abuse treatment programs, and mobile crisis services. Delaware’s SOR grant will strengthen the statewide OUD/STUD system of care through the implementation of evidence-based prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services.
DSAMH and its partners will: (1) Enhance data-driven oversight and implementation of SOR; (2) Reduce overdose mortality in Delaware by distributing naloxone statewide and deploying targeted resources to high-needs communities. (3) Increase the availability, quality, and sustainability of evidence-based treatment and recovery services; (4) Effectively collaborate with other systems and entities, as well as the public, to facilitate OUD/STUD prevention, harm reduction practices, and ensure seamless pathways into OUD/STUD treatment and recovery services; (5) Support existing and new providers and entities to proficiently implement evidence-based and data-responsive practices to improve engagement, care, and outcomes; and (6) Implement recovery support services that facilitate pathways to long-term recovery, address social needs, and promote quality of life.
Delaware has the fourth highest drug overdose death rate in the country and the CDC estimated Delaware’s 2022 drug overdose mortality rate as 55.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, substantially higher than the national rate of 32.6 deaths per 100,000. Delaware’s SOR grant will enable thousands of Delawareans to be served through treatment, recovery, and prevention services. The grant will enable an estimated 9,000 unduplicated individuals to be served through treatment services over three years (3,000 in each year). An estimated 3,000 unduplicated individuals will be served through recovery support services (1,000 in each year). An estimated 15,225 unduplicated individuals will be served through prevention services under the grant (5,075 in each year).
To meet the above goals of this proposal, DSAMH and its project partners will implement and encourage the uptake of a number of evidence-based and evidence-informed practices, including: low-barrier access to MOUD; Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT); motivational interviewing; peer recovery support; recovery residences; police diversion programming; Post-Overdose Response Teams; community-based SUD prevention messaging; school-based SUD prevention programming; naloxone distribution in a variety of settings; and coordination to improve care transitions. A "data-responsive" infrastructure within the Overdose Response Center will drive continuous improvement and decision-making on the deployment of resources throughout the state.