The Heroin Overdose Prevention and Education (HOPE) Task Force uses enforcement, education, and prevention to combat the heroin epidemic. Detectives treat opiate overdose scenes as crime scenes and investigate the source of the supply of drugs that caused an overdose. The HOPE Task Force collaborates with community providers and organizations to refer those with substance use disorders to treatment.
In January 2018, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office began using the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) to help identify real-time overdose trends and hot spots. Previously, Whitehall’s firefighters and paramedics were trained on the same system to track fatal and nonfatal overdoses. Now, the HOPE Task Force also uses ODMAP, enabling the ability to pinpoint where a significant number of the overdoses have taken place, deconflict cases, and share information with other jurisdictions in near-real time.
"People will see us, say, ‘Hey, you guys are part of the HOPE Task Force.’. . .I think we’ve been able to kind of bridge some of that gap between law enforcement and these people that have the addiction, that are suffering out there in the community. . .They feel, ‘Hey, I can talk to him.’"
—Sergeant Brian Toth, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
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Sequential intercept mapping is a cross-system exercise to identify potential opportunities to divert people with mental illness and substance use disorders from the criminal justice system to treatment at five intercept points, from pre-arrest through reentry. It brings together community stakeholders to examine resources, needs, current efforts, and gaps. The process promotes stakeholder collaboration to identify solutions to address gaps and issues across all intercept points.
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The Stop Addiction for Everyone (S.A.F.E.) Station program is a collaborative effort among the Whitehall Division of Fire, the Whitehall Division of Police, the Heart of Ohio Family Health Center, and the Maryhaven Addiction Stabilization Center. The program provides a safe and discreet way to access treatment by facilitating treatment linkages and transport to individuals with substance use disorders.
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The Maryhaven Addiction Stabilization Center (MASC) is a S.A.F.E. Station partner and was established as a direct outcome of the Franklin County Opiate Crisis Community Action Plan. MASC offers immediate care to stabilize people who overdose or seek treatment and opened as a first-of-its-kind effort to relieve the strain on hospital emergency departments, providing those with opioid use disorders quick access to treatment and recovery options, including subsequent long-term services.
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Pathways is a women’s program at the Franklin County Correctional Center II in Ohio. Pathways includes pre- and post-release programming. The pre-release program begins with an 8-week intensive curriculum blending cognitive behavioral therapy, recovery management, and a variety of prosocial activities.
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The Franklin County Municipal Court Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program was established in July 2018 and is a voluntary program for individuals on probation (or those who will be on probation). MAT is used as an integral part of the Franklin County Municipal Court’s process, and a clinic is located inside the courthouse. Since the time of filming this virtual tour, the MAT program has expanded and is now known as the MAT Assessment, Research, Care, and Hope (MARCH) program.
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The Heroin Overdose Prevention and Education (HOPE) Task Force uses enforcement, education, and prevention to combat the heroin epidemic. Detectives treat opiate overdose scenes as crime scenes and investigate the source of the supply of drugs that caused an overdose. The HOPE Task Force collaborates with community providers and organizations to refer those with substance use disorders to treatment.
For additional help, consider requesting training and technical assistance (TTA).
