Tuesday, April 1, 2025
4/1/2025
Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program - The Prince George’s County Health Department (PGCHD) seeks funding to implement Powerful Youth Peers (PYP), a certified peer support specialist training program that will lessen the County’s behavioral health workforce shortage and make behavioral health services more accessible to underserved communities by training 96 County residents, aged 18 to 26 years, who have lived experience with opioid use disorder (OUD) and/or substance use disorder (SUD), to become certified peer support specialists. Upon completing their training, graduates will serve children and youth and their parents or guardians who are at-risk for or diagnosed with OUD and/or SUD and who reside in the County. Prince George’s County ranks fourth among Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions for the number of fatal overdoses. The incidence of overdoses among youth is increasing. The proposed program will provide two levels of training – Level I and Level II. Level I trainees will complete didactic and experiential training and pass a State exam to become certified peer support specialists. A third of the Level I training completers will have the option of entering Level II training which consists of a 12-month apprenticeship at a health or social service provider, where they will work as peers. Experiential and apprenticeship sites include local hospitals, a mobile response team, a crisis stabilization center, and several community-based behavioral health programs targeting youth who are in recovery or at risk and their families who are impacted by SUD or OUD. Once trained, peers will provide group and one-on-one peer support, including but not limited to assisting with linkage to behavioral health services, primary care, and agencies that mitigate social determinants of health (SDoH); patient appointment scheduling, reminders and escort; applying to social benefit programs; and life skills coaching (budgeting, job interview skills, etc.). They will also facilitate the referral of parents and guardians to older peers who are already employed by PGCHD and its partner agencies.
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).