Grantee Projects

The Indiana County Leaders Collaboration for Change (ICLCC) will establish and/or build upon existing collaborative relationships between first responders, the criminal justice system, child welfare and foster care, behavioral health, primary care and addiction service providers to identify, develop (or) enhance, and implement specific countywide programs designed to reduce the impact of opioids, stimulants, and other substances on individuals and communities. The counties will achieve this by developing (or) enhancing and implementing one or more of the following within their county: Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) model programs (new to Indiana), prebooking or postbooking treatment alternative-to-incarceration programs, education and prevention programs to connect law enforcement in schools, embed social services with law enforcement to rapidly respond to drug overdoses where children are impacted, and expand access to evidence-based treatment and recovery support services across the criminal justice system. This project serves individuals across Knox, Wayne, Fayette, Floyd, Clark, Allen, and Madison counties. The project includes partnerships between the Division of Mental Health and Addiction and seven county coalitions. Priority considerations addressed in this application include rural, high-poverty, and economically distressed regions.

The Purchase District Health Department applied for Category 1b suburban area grant funding in the amount of $900,000. The Purchase District Health Department program will implement a coordinated response to illicit opioids, psychostimulants, and counterfeit prescription drugs in Purchase. Four types of activities will be implemented: (1) provide naloxone for law enforcement and other first responders; (2) establish law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs; (3) conduct comprehensive, real-time, regional information collection, analysis, and dissemination; and (4) provide recovery support services, including recovery housing and peer recovery support services. This project serves eight counties totaling 196,563 people in western Kentucky. The project includes partnerships between law enforcement, first responders, and public health agencies who are active members of the Purchase Area Health Connections Opioid Task Force.

St. Tammany Parish will develop an information system to analyze and track the opioid client population across justice system and health intercepts in order to reduce cases of overdose and increase treatment and recovery service access. Key partners for this project include the 22nd Judicial District Court, the Safe Haven Advisory Board, St. Tammany Parish Hospital, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and Jail, and the District Attorney’s Office.

Initially, the Boston Police Department (BPD) COSSAP strategy consisted of the following: BPD in partnership with the Boston Public Health Commission, expanded and enhanced a community-based, first-responder, post-overdose follow-up program in the city of Boston. Multidisciplinary teams consisting of at least one BPD member and one public health advocate along with the Boston Fire Department conducted a home-based outreach intervention with at least 100 individuals per quarter who had recently experienced nonfatal opioid overdoses to provide access to naloxone and recovery support services. These individuals received prioritized access to detoxification and treatment services, as well as access to medication-assisted treatment. While this strategy was implemented for a large duration of the grant, the BPD and COB experienced a number of policy changes due to a homelessness and SUD crisis in Boston’s Melnea Cass neighborhood of Boston, while in the midst of a global disaster (COVID-19), and major city of Boston anti-police protests, demanding that police not intervene with those homeless / SUD persons in the Melnea Cass area. Furthermore, during the same time period, Boston was experiencing a 300% increase in reported drug facilitated sexual assaults (DFSAs). Following such events, and due to significant increases in spiked drinks across the city, we put together a DFSA Initiative that was presented to, and approved by the COSSAP Program Officer from the US Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance, to implement under this grant. Given that, we are in the process of working with our Intelligence, Sexual Assault, and Licensing Units to identify a more efficient method of gathering intel and collecting data regarding these cases, while also developing a new crime code, training manual, and incremental steps to address this issue internally with the BPD, and externally with our City of Boston agency and community partners, including but not limited to the Higher Education community. . We are currently cultivating relationships with various Boston colleges and universities and will be convening a monthly round table to discuss DFSA on college campuses, and in local bars and house parties, while also partnering with the COB’s Public Health Department to work on the development of a public awareness campaign.

The City of Holyoke Police Department (HPD) applied for Category 1c rural/tribal area grant funding in the amount of $597,650. Project ERASE (Expansion of Recovery from Addiction to Substances Efforts) will implement a multicomponent intervention program designed to (1) support individuals with opioid, stimulant, and other illicit substance issues with interventions to reduce addictions and associated mental health needs, (2) reduce overdoses and overdose deaths through prevention and intervention strategies, and (3) reduce substance-related crime in Holyoke. This project serves Behavioral Health Network and Gandara, the Holyoke Police Department, Hampden County Sheriff, Holyoke Probation, and research partners. The project includes partnerships between the House of Corrections to provide detox treatment options and develop a law enforcement liaison between HPD, the courts, and probation personnel. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high-poverty area and enhanced public safety in Qualified Opportunity Zones.

Newburyport Police Department (NPD) in Massachusetts, one of the founding departments of the Essex County Outreach Program, proposes to expand the outreach program to encompass all of Essex County. The Essex County Outreach Program is a series of stigma-free entry points to treatment on demand. The program supports nonarrest or early diversion program models that reach people before they enter the criminal justice system. The program supports multiple law enforcement entry points to treatment, including self-referrals to the stations. Cross-sector collaboration and partnerships are key to the program’s success which is supported by clinicians, social workers, recovery coaches, and trained volunteers.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Sheriff’s Department Hampden applied for a Category 1b suburban area grant in the amount of $900,000. Hampden County Sheriff’s Department’s All Inclusive Support Service Program will reduce opioid-related overdoses and related fatalities. The program will take a multipronged approach to (1) enhance a database in Hampden County that will allow for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of comprehensive, real-time overdose information, and (2) implement a law enforcement, first responder-driven multidisciplinary overdose prevention, response, and diversion referral model known as the Rapid Response and Connection Program. This project serves Hampden County, Massachusetts, which has a population of 470,406. The project includes partnerships between the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, Office of the District Attorney, Baystate Medical Center, Trinity Health Mercy Medical Center, local law enforcement entities, and other established community partners. Priority considerations addressed in project include the disproportionate impact from substance use on a rural, high-poverty census tract and public safety impact in Qualified Opportunity Zones.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department applied for Category 1c rural/tribal area grant funding in the amount of $600,000. The Community Opportunity, Network, Navigation, Exploration, and Connection Team (CONNECT) will provide real-time assistance to individuals who survived, witnessed, or are at risk of an opioid overdose (e.g., family, family drug court participants, children, and community members). Team members will make in-person follow-up visits within 72 hours to individuals who survived or witnessed an opioid overdose, including affected children, to assess health, behavioral, and social needs. In addition, team members will connect individuals to community-based behavioral health, treatment, and recovery support services, while ensuring that opioid overdose survivors and witnesses navigate care across the criminal justice, human services, and educational systems. The program will expand Naloxone availability and appropriate use by first responders and law enforcement personnel, focusing on Naloxone deserts, and establish a system that offers real-time data collection, analysis, and dissemination of key data points to reduce opioid-related deaths. This project serves 87,130 residents in 30 communities spanning two rural counties in Western Massachusetts. The project includes partnerships between research scientists Pamela Kelley and Dr. Sean Varano and other community stakeholders representing law enforcement, the peer recovery community, harm reduction, courts, housing, and other basic human needs sectors.

The Trial Court of Massachusetts, on behalf of six states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont), will establish a New England Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative (RJOI). This project will support comprehensive cross-system planning and collaboration among officials who work in multiple justice and justice related settings while staying focused on the judiciary and judiciary stakeholders (e.g. law enforcement, pre-trial services, the courts, probation and parole, child welfare, reentry, prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), and emergency medical services, as well as health-care providers, public health partners, and agencies that provide substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services). The New England RJOI will also develop and enhance public safety, behavioral health, and public health information-sharing partnerships that leverage key public health and public safety data sets and implement interventions based on this information. The project will have a researcher and is presently completing contract negotiations for these services.

The Town of East Bridgewater applied for Category 1a urban area grant funding in the amount of $1,200,000. Plymouth County Outreach (PCO) will enhance the current PCO model in three ways: (1) creating a reentry support system for those returning from the Plymouth County House of Corrections with identified substance use disorders; (2) developing hotspot-targeted outreach to areas experiencing disproportionately high overdose rates; (3) expanding the harm-reduction toolkit distributed during post-overdose home visits to include items related to opioids and stimulants, including naloxone. This project serves Plymouth County, which has a population of 521,202. The project includes partnerships between 27 municipal police departments in Plymouth County, as well as the Bridgewater State University Police Department, Plymouth County District Attorney and Sheriff’s offices, as well as all local hospitals and treatment facilities. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high rate of overdose deaths in a persistent poverty area.

The Seekonk Police Department is applying for Category 1 funding in the amount of $798,156. The Bristol County Outreach Opioid Intervention/Mental Health Program is a law enforcement-led post-overdose outreach collaboration among eight towns in Bristol County that will facilitate access to treatment for individuals struggling with substance use disorder, as well as support for their families and friends. The program includes hiring a project coordinator/clinician and a recovery specialist to support the eight-town coalition of police departments in their efforts to provide post overdose/referral recovery support services to individuals experiencing non-fatal overdoses and those determined to be at risk for overdose. Outreach teams will conduct post-overdose home visits within 72 hours of an overdose to offer access to treatment. Outreach will also include distribution of harm reduction tool kits including naloxone. All eight towns currently use countywide overdose/referral tracking software called the Critical Incident Management System (CIMS), which tracks all fatal and non-fatal overdoses, shares data among law enforcement agencies, and documents post-overdose follow-up. The project serves the towns of Dighton, Easton, Fairhaven, Mansfield, Rehoboth, Seekonk, and Somerset in Bristol County, which have an aggregate population of 136,738. The project includes partnerships between the municipal police departments in Dighton, Easton, Fairhaven, Mansfield, Rehoboth, Seekonk, and Somerset. The project will engage Kelley Research Associates as a research partner. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high rate of primary treatment admissions for heroin, opioids, and stimulants; high rates of overdose deaths; and a lack of accessibility to treatment providers and facilities.

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) is applying for a Category 1 award in the amount of $899,963. The St. Mary’s County Day Reporting Center project will provide community-based services and treatment to offenders under parole/probation in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The offenders will live at home and report to the center on a daily basis. While at the center, the offenders receive various services including substance misuse counseling, anger management, moral reconation therapy, parenting skills, relapse prevention, mental health coordination, job skills, case management, educational classes, life skills, after-care planning, and touch-ups. This project serves a population of roughly 113,510 individuals in St. Mary's County. The project includes partnerships between SMCHD and St. Mary's County Detention and Rehabilitation Center (SMCDRC).

The Worcester County Health Department (WCHD) is applying for Category 1 funding in the amount of $600,000. The project will enable the countywide expansion of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program launched in July 2021 in Ocean Pines through the addition of two case managers and support staff to assist in data collection and partner coordination. The LEAD program will work with other first responders, including fire department and emergency medical services (EMS) staff members. This expansion will include collaboration with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, targeting high utilizers of law enforcement and other first responder services across Worcester County. The additional case management staff will provide linkages to care, social services, and recovery support services to appropriate individuals identified by fire/EMS professionals and law enforcement officers. The expansion of the LEAD program will increase access to treatment for individuals who are abusing or misusing opioids, stimulants, and other substances and those who have co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. It will also benefit law enforcement and first responder systems by redirecting high utilizers to more appropriate services. The project serves Worcester County, a largely rural county with a population of 52,276. The project will include partnerships between WCHD and the Worcester County Office of the State’s Attorney, the Ocean Pines Police Department, the Worcester County Local Behavioral Health Authority, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy, and the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth and Victim Services. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high rate of primary treatment admissions for heroin, opioids, and stimulants; high rates of overdose deaths; and a lack of accessibility to treatment providers and facilities.

The Michigan State Police, in partnership with the University of Michigan, will develop and pilot Community Overdose Assessment Teams (COATs) in up to three counties. The purpose of a COAT will be to review each overdose to identify causes and incidences of opioid overdose deaths within the selected sites, identify risk factors and gaps in the systems, develop recommendations to agencies of each local COAT to prevent future deaths, and provide recommendations to the state on how to address the epidemic, such as changes to laws or regulations.

The City of Duluth applied for Category 1b suburban area grant funding in the amount of $899,055. The City of Duluth FY 2020 COSSAP Lake Superior Diversion and Substance Use Response Team Project will improve community outreach to overdose events by expanding outreach efforts to those with amphetamine-related substance use disorders and those who experience amphetamine-related overdoses. The program will reduce barriers between outreach contact and treatment, and maintain or expand current opioid response functions. This project serves St. Louis, Carlton, and Lake counties in Minnesota, as well as the city of Superior in Wisconsin. This region has a population of approximately 289,727 people. The project includes partnerships between St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services, St. Louis County Drug Court, and the Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment. Priority considerations addressed in this application include Qualified Opportunity Zones.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will create a drug monitoring initiative within the Minnesota Fusion Center. Key partners include local, state, federal, and tribal public safety and public health agencies, including the Minnesota Prescription Monitoring Program (MNPMP), Minnesota Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Minnesota Poison Control.

The city of Jacksonville proposes to implement peer navigators to provide case management to individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD); a law enforcement-assisted diversion program (LEAD); a Quick Response Team; continuum of care for children and families of individuals with OUD, including a psychologist in the schools; and establish an overdose fatality review board. Doctors Christina Lanier and Kristen DeVall from the University of North Carolina Wilmington will evaluate the project.

The Henderson County Health Department, through the County of Henderson, applied for Category 1b grant funding in the amount of $900,000. The funds will be used to expand access to recovery support services. The program seeks to provide peer-delivered services with a focus on rehabilitation and recovery, utilizing North Carolina certified peer support specialists and care coordinators. Services provided by the certified peers include psychosocial rehabilitation, habilitation, family support and training, short-term crisis intervention, and empowerment. This project serves a suburban area or medium-sized county with a population between 100,000 and 500,000. The project includes partnerships between Henderson County’s Behavioral Health Summit, Free Clinix, and Hope RX.

Through the implementation of its Substance Awareness Program, Hyde County Health Department (HCHD) aims to work collaboratively with community partners to reduce substance misuse, overdoses, and deaths, and disease transmissions & infections (related to intravenous drug use) by increasing the utilization of treatment & harm reduction resources; supporting people who use drugs (PWUD) and those in recovery; and providing education to PWUD, their families, and the general community.

The County of Lenoir applied for Category 1b grant funding for the amount of $288,713. The purpose of the project is to improve capacity of the district’s Family Accountability and Recovery Court (FARC) to serve families involved in the family court system due to substance dependence. Project objectives include providing more seamless and comprehensive treatment, as well as recovery services to parents with substance use disorders through increased staff capacity, enhanced training and professional development, and expanding treatment and complementary services. The project also aims at addressing systemic barriers faced by parents with substance use disorders through family transitional housing and expanded transportation assistance, as well as improving FARC performance through evaluation and performance management. This project serves North Carolina’s 8th Judicial District (Lenoir, Wayne, and Green counties). The total population of the district is 201,483. The project includes partnerships between Lenoir County, the 8th Judicial District FARC program, Hope Restorations Inc., Kinston Community Health Center, and the National Center for State Courts. Priority considerations addressed in this application include rural challenges, high and persistent poverty, and improved safety in Qualified Opportunity Zones.

The Public Health Authority of Cabarrus County is applying for Category 1 funding in the amount of $900,000. Through the Providing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Recovery Support Services to Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) project, Cabarrus Health Alliance (CHA), the local health department for Cabarrus and Rowan counties, will provide MAT to 50 uninsured individuals with OUD residing in the counties. The program will combine pharmacotherapy (via buprenorphine-naloxone), behavioral health treatment, voluntary access, recovery support services, and low-barrier access for participation. CHA will receive referrals for detainees post-release from the Cabarrus County Detention Center (CCDC) and recruit other MAT patients through its internal syringe access program and MAT program for pregnant women with OUD. The program will expand local capacity for care beyond pregnant women with OUD to adults with OUD; increase the number of individuals with OUD receiving MAT in combination with behavioral health services; and decrease opioid overdoses among participants of the MAT program. The project serves Cabarrus and Rowan counties, with a total population of 358,541. Parts of both counties are U.S. Human Resources and Services Administration-designated Medically Underserved Areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas in primary, dental, and mental health care and are also designated as High-Poverty Areas. The project includes partnerships with CCDC, the Stepping Up Initiative, and Atrium Health Addiction Services. Priority considerations addressed in this application include disproportionate impact by the misuse of opioids, protecting the public from crime and evolving threats, and benefiting individuals residing in high-poverty areas or persistent-poverty counties.

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) will develop an Opioid Abuse Management Program, which aims to reduce the high rate of opioid overdoses and opioid fatalities in Wake County. The Opioid Abuse Management program will be overseen by a Program Coordinator who will implement and oversee the progress of the program. Funding through the program will ensure that all deputies are equipped with naloxone to administer and reverse the effects of an overdose. The program will also provide handheld narcotics analyzers and necessary accessories, which will enable deputies to quickly identify suspected controlled substances in emergency situations. Tablets will also be funded through the program and will be provided to deputies responding to substance abuse calls. These tablets will provide a direct connection to Alliance Health Access and Information Line, where deputies will receive immediate virtual assistance from a social services professional. Tablets will also be used in the Detox Unit by project staff for reporting and data management, as well as by residents housed in the Detox Unit to assist with job applications, substance abuse treatment programs, and telehealth visits. WCSO recognizes that our duty of care must not stop upon a resident’s release and therefore will implement collaborative partnerships with behavioral health clinics and treatment providers to expand our comprehensive efforts to respond to, treat, and support those impacted by illicit opioids, stimulants, and other drugs of abuse once released from our care. WCSO will procure a software company to develop and implement a Substance Abuse Disorder Management Platform that will track treatment during incarceration and upon release. This software will connect the WCSO with outside healthcare professionals to better understand patterns and to share crucial information.

Atlantic City is applying for Category 1 funding in the amount of $600,000. The Atlantic City COSSAP program will focus on promoting public safety and supporting access to recovery services, strengthening data collection and sharing, aligning and maximizing resources, and preventing substance use. It will implement a comprehensive plan to reduce the risk of overdose death and enhance treatment and recovery engagement through recommendations made by the city’s overdose fatality review team, bringing together stakeholders with different perspectives and different data sets to improve public health and clinical practices. Strategies include enhanced outreach to overdose survivors and their families and enhanced targeting of high-frequency cases. Goals of the project include reducing the impact of opioids, stimulants, and other substances on individuals and communities, reducing the number of overdose fatalities, and mitigating the impacts on crime victims by supporting comprehensive, collaborative initiatives, in part by enhancing the proactive use of prescription drug monitoring programs to support clinical decision making and preventing the misuse and diversion of controlled substances. The project serves Atlantic City, which has a population of 37,999. The project includes partnerships with the city’s Director of Public Health, the Jewish Family Services Department, Southern Jersey Family Medical Center, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Behavioral Health, the Atlantic City Police Department, the Atlantic City Municipal Court, and emergency medical services. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high rate of primary treatment admissions for heroin, opioids, and stimulants; high rates of overdose deaths; and a lack of accessibility to treatment providers and facilities.

The City of Paterson, New Jersey, applied for Category 1b grant funding in the amount of $900,000. The Paterson Coalition for Opioid Assessment and Response (COAR) will support initiatives led by the City's inaugural Opioid Response Team (ORT), staffed by specially-trained law enforcement, emergency medical technicians, social workers, and peer recovery support workers. The ORT functions as the COAR's ground force by which to perform proactive outreach on a group and personalized basis with residents in “hot spot” areas, as identified based on the collective data and research of COAR. The program works closely with the adjacent Overdose Fatality Review Team to better analyze and understand overdose cases and trends, allowing COAR to identify additional gaps in services or policies that would potentially minimize its high rate of overdoses. Also, the program provides to hire staff needed to build the capacity and sustainability of COAR over time, as well as support the proposed activities. This project serves the City of Paterson, which has a population of ~160,000 residents. This effort involves partnerships between law enforcement entities from the local (Paterson Police Department), county (Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office), and interstate/federal (New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) levels; addiction and health professionals from local (Paterson Department of Health and Human Services/Division of Health), county (Passaic County Department of Health and Human Services/Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services), and regional (St. Joseph’s University Medical Center) levels; community-based partners who work hands-on to develop policy (Health Coalition of Passaic County) and programs to support the region’s substance-using residents; and traditional Narcan distributors (Paterson Fire Department and Paterson Emergency Medical Services). Priority considerations addressed in this application include: addressing needs in high-poverty areas; supporting law enforcement in Qualified Opportunity Zones; and addressing areas with a high rate of primary treatment admissions for heroin/opioids, high rates of overdose deaths, and a lack of accessibility to treatment providers.

The New Jersey State Parole Board (NJSPB) is applying for a Category 2 award in the amount of $3,278,813. The FY 2021 COSSAP-New Jersey State Parole Board project will provide peer recovery-based services to individuals with substance use disorder who are under parole supervision, as well as expand Rutgers University’s current Intensive Recovery Treatment Support (IRTS) program and create a team of providers specifically dedicated to the needs of individuals under NJSPB supervision. The target population to be served under this grant will be a minimum of 110 adult offenders released from New Jersey state correctional facilities to parole supervision residing in any one of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Medium-to-high-risk offenders will be identified prior to their release from prison and will be referred, when released on parole, to receive IRTS services with the aid of a Peer Health Navigator. The project includes a partnership with Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. Priority considerations addressed in this application include protecting the public from crime and evolving threats, building trust between law enforcement and the community, and serving individuals residing in high-poverty areas.

The New Mexico Human Services Department applied for Category 2 statewide area grant funding in the amount of $6,000,000. The implementation and enhancement of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programs in New Mexico will reduce criminal behavior, decrease criminal justice and emergency health service utilization, and improve public safety by supporting the development of LEAD in tribal and nontribal jurisdictions. The project aims to reduce drug overdose and improve the quality of life for people with a substance use disorder while supporting a coordinated collaborative response to behavioral health among criminal justice, social service, and public health systems. This project serves approximately 900,000 residents in New Mexico. The project includes partnerships between Bernalillo County, Santa Fe County, Taos County, Lea County, San Juan County and San Miguel County. Priority considerations addressed in this application include the high rate of individuals in New Mexico jails and prisons estimated to have an untreated substance use disorder and the high rates of racial disparity in corrections.

Sierra County in New Mexico will develop a crisis intervention team to assist law enforcement officers in developing a law enforcement diversion program, provide jail-based opioid and behavioral health services, provide skill-building and treatment, assist incarcerated individuals transitioning to community-based services once released from custody, add community behavior health treatment planning and services, and conduct opioid education programs in schools. This project will engage Ann Hays Egan of New Ventures Consulting as the research partner for this project.

The Seneca Nation of Indians applied for Category 1c tribal/rural area grant funding in the amount of $595,366.30. The Seneca Nation’s Native Connections Clubhouse Program (SNNCP) will provide opioid, stimulant, and substance abuse education, prevention, and intervention programming that connects law enforcement agencies with K-12 students and provides ongoing community support systems for at-risk youth. Objective one is to provide school administrations, students, and families with access to law enforcement agencies through the School Resource Officer Program; connecting K-12 students to opioid, stimulant, and substance abuse education, prevention, and intervention programming and resources. Objective two is to provide Native American youth and families with access to evidenced-based opioid, stimulant, and substance abuse prevention and intervention strategies/tools/programs beyond traditional school/business hours by opening an after-hour’s safe place, the Clubhouse, for a minimum of 25 hours per week on the Allegany Territory. This project serves the Seneca Nation of Indians Tribe. The project includes partnerships between Lakeshore Central Schools and Silver Central Schools.

The City of Ithaca applied for Category 1b suburban area grant funding in the amount of $900,000. The Ithaca LEAD Program (ILP) will reduce repeated arrests and incarceration for people whose unlawful conduct stems from unmet behavioral health needs in the city of Ithaca and adjacent towns in Tompkins County, New York. ILP will reduce racial disparities in criminal justice involvement for the region’s African-American population, reduce unnecessary arrests and prosecutions imposed on the justice system, improve officer efficiency, maximize the value of the city’s community-based service array, and improve outcomes for this complex population. In the era of COVID-19, these changes are especially critical. Across the nation, officers are confronting new challenges in interacting with people on the street; jails are striving to reduce incarceration so as to mitigate COVID-19 risks; and judges, attorneys, and court staff are seeking to reduce congestion in courtrooms. This project serves the city of Ithaca, New York. The project includes partnerships with Tompkins County District Attorney and Legislature, Community Leadership Team DCI, Ithaca Police Department, Tompkins County Sheriff, REACH Medical, Greater Ithaca Activities Center, and the LEAD National Support Bureau. Priority considerations addressed in this application include Qualified Opportunity Zones, as well as challenges faced by rural communities and high-poverty areas.

Ulster County is applying for Category 1b suburban area grant funding in the amount of $900,000. The High-Risk Mitigation Team (HRMT) will increase ORACLE’s capacity to respond to overdose scenes by providing crisis intervention training (CIT) to officers throughout Ulster County. The project will develop the HRMT to work directly with ORACLE, providing certified peer advocate services (CRPA) and intensive case management within the city of Kingston, New York. The project will also develop an initial alert system for first responders in Kingston to alert the ORACLE team of overdose when it happens. This project serves Ulster County, a community of approximately 177,573 people. The project includes partnerships between the Ulster County Department of Health and Mental Health, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and ORACLE team. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high rate of primary treatment admissions for heroin or other opioids and a high rate of overdose deaths.

The New York State Unified Court System (UCS) is applying for Category 2 funding in the amount of $5,783,403. The New York Rural Opioid Court Initiative will implement opioid courts (OICs)—pre-plea court programs that expedite treatment and recovery services for offenders at high risk for overdose—in eight USDA-designated rural counties in New York State (Sullivan, Greene, Delaware, Genesee, Cortland, Columbia, Chenango, and Lewis). The project provides the infrastructure, planning, and evaluation of evidence-based treatment interventions, supervision, and recovery supportive services to successfully divert defendants with substance use disorder at risk of overdose. The OICs’ development will be supported locally by engaging in Sequential Intercept Model mapping in each jurisdiction and by the establishment of an OIC Center of Excellence, which will provide guidance to the selected counties in applying best practices to address the issues of polysubstance use disorders, mental health, and trauma. The project will also improve court supervision and access to treatment and peers through teleservices and will engage with drug testing laboratories to enhance testing for complex synthetic drugs to target effective supervision, treatment, and supportive services. The goal of the project is to stabilize defendants while an appropriate disposition of their case is determined so that participants may connect with treatment and other services that produce behavior change. The project serves Sullivan, Greene, Delaware, Genesee, Cortland, Columbia, Chenango, and Lewis counties in New York State, with a combined population of 408,060. The project includes partnerships with the New York Office of Addiction Services and Supports and Policy Research Associates. The project will engage NPC Research as an evaluation partner. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high rate of primary treatment admissions for heroin, opioids, and stimulants; high rates of overdose deaths; and a lack of accessibility to treatment providers and facilities.

Butler County of Ohio applied for Category 1B grant funding in the amount of $900,000. The Butler County COSSAP project aims to reduce the impact of opioids, stimulants, and other substances on individuals within its communities, through reducing the number of overdose fatalities, as well as mitigating the impacts of on crime victims by supporting comprehensive, collaborative initiatives. This project serves Butler County, home to a population of 382,000. The project includes a partnership with Miami University’s Center for School-based Mental Health Programs. Priority considerations addressed in this application include rural challenges in a high-poverty area and Qualified Opportunity Zone.

The City of Columbus Department of Public Safety applied for grant funding in the amount of $1200,000 under Category 1A. This project serves the 1,316,756 residents of the city of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio. The Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) EMS Outreach Unit is a unit within the Division of Fire’s Training and Emergency Medical Services Bureau and is supported by the Division of Police’s Crisis Response Team. RREACT EMS outreach members include firefighters/paramedics, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) certified peace officers, a substance use case manager, a registered SUD nurse, a family case manager, and trauma specialist. This multidisciplinary outreach team goes directly into communities to connect with opioid users who survive overdose, but then refuse EMS transport to the emergency room. The goal of the outreach unit is to proactively create connections and build relationships with opioid users. RREACT follows up with addicted individuals in the community within 48 hours of nonfatal overdose; checks in on their immediate health and wellness; provides resource information, and creates opportunities for users to link with harm-reduction supplies, treatment programs, and social service supports. RREACT actively partners with local treatment providers, public health departments, justice agencies, and Franklin County’s Family and Children First Council to achieve desired project outcomes. Gretchen Hammond with Mighty Crow, Inc. serves as the evaluator for the proposed project. The applicant is eligible for COSSAP priority consideration based on overdose rates in Franklin County and the City of Columbus and the project’s impact on increased public safety in Qualified Opportunity Zones.

Erie County will develop the Drug Overdose Response Team (DORT). DORT will be available 24/7 to respond on scene to calls about drug overdoses whenever first responders are involved, provide short-term case management, and conduct intensive follow up. DORT will serve the geographic area of Erie County with a population just under 75,000. This project includes partnerships with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Erie County Prosecutor’s Office.

The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office Community Advocates Outreach Project (CAOP), a division of the Drug Abuse Response Team (DART), applied under Category 1B for three-year total grant funding in the amount of $231,232 to serve 441,815 residents of Lucas County, Ohio. Federal funding will assist program expansion, which will reduce the demand of opioids, reduce the supply of opioids, and promote harm-reduction. The project will achieve these goals through (1) development, promotion, and implementation of a three-year mixed-media drug awareness campaign; and (2) the evaluation of the CAOP educational component of DART. The project includes partnerships with Arrowhead Behavioral Health, Boys and Girls Club of Toledo, Brightside Academy, Glass City Academy, Maumee Indoor Theater, the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County, St. Francis De Sales School, Toledo Public Schools, and UMADAOP Lucas County. Priority consideration addressed in this application is for a high-poverty area.

The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) applied under Category 2 on behalf of the State of Ohio for grant funding in the amount of $6,000,000 for the First Responder Diversion Programs in Ohio project. Through this grant, first responder diversion (FRD) programs will be created and/or expanded in rural and urban areas across Ohio. The project serves Cuyahoga, Fairfield, Franklin, Hamilton, Lawrence, Lorain, and Mansfield counties. Federally designated Qualified Opportunity Zones and high-poverty areas were a consideration in identifying several of the pilot sites. The project partners include OCJS, Cordata, Talbert House, the University of Cincinnati, and drug task forces in participating FRD sites.

Ross County Health District applied for Category 1c rural/tribal area grant funding in the amount of $600,000. The Ross County Peer Recovery Service Center will expand access to treatment and recovery support services for individuals at high risk of overdose involving opioids, stimulants, and other substances through a new program of countywide coordination of recovery support services. System coordination will occur early in the individual’s involvement with the criminal justice system, identifying key recovery sites for navigation and service connection. The project will employ a dedicated peer recovery services coordinator who works out of the Ross County Community Action Commission (RCCAC) through a newly developed service line: a countywide Peer Recovery Service Center (PRS Center). In addition, dedicated recovery housing capacity will be a part of the recovery support system, as will an enhanced network of peer recovery supporters. The Ross County Peer Recovery Service Center will enhance the applicant’s current integrated service delivery system that promotes public health, sustained recovery, and safety for the community. This project serves Ross County, with a population of 76,666. The project includes partnerships between the Ross County Health District, RCCAC, Ross County Sheriff’s Office and Ross County Jail, Ross County Probation, Post Overdose Response Team, Ross County Common Pleas Court, Ohio University-Chillicothe, the Peer Recovery and Outreach Center.

Clackamas County applied for grant funding in the amount of $900,000 under Category 1B for the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Plus project. This project serves the 424,747 residents of Clackamas County, which consists of urban, suburban, and rural areas spanning 1,879 square miles (larger than the state of Rhode Island). The primary goals of LEAD Plus are to continue and enhance the implementation of the LEAD program and add a new layer of coordination that connects the many opioid and substance abuse efforts in the county into a truly comprehensive and integrated approach. Clackamas County’s LEAD program is unique. It employs outreach, intensive case management, system navigation and coordination to support individuals struggling with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) move towards healing and recovery and transition from homelessness to permanent, stable housing. LEAD’s trauma-informed approach reduces barriers to SUD services and supports and increases the number of individuals that choose to engage in care coordination. The LEAD program also enhances Clackamas County’s public safety system by reducing participant engagement in the local criminal justice system. To end this cyclical engagement, LEAD provides an opportunity to divert eligible individuals from the criminal justice system to supportive services that improve their circumstances. The LEAD program reduces service access barriers through improved coordination with system partners. LEAD also supports participants by offering basic necessities such as food, medicine and shelter as well as help to secure identification, legal, and employment services. Key partners included in this project include the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Milwaukie Police Department, the Indigent Defense Corporation, homeless/houseless service providers, and substance abuse treatment providers. The program is administered by Clackamas County's Children, Family, & Community Connections Division.

The Crook County Health Department’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Prevention Program will identify and implement an evidence-based law enforcement and first responder diversion program; build capacity with the school district and law enforcement for education and prevention programs for K-12; enhance real-time data collection, analysis, and dissemination; increase access and accessibility to harm reduction strategies such as naloxone distribution and medication take-back programs; and assess needs and capacity for supporting medication-assisted treatment within the local jail, in addition to local recovery and support services. This project serves Crook County, a rural community in Oregon with a population of 25,562. The project includes partnerships between the Crook County Health Department, the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, the Prineville Police Department, BestCare Treatment Services, Rimrock Trails Treatment Services, the Crook County School District, Central Oregon Health Counsel, the Pain Standards Taskforce, St. Charles Health Systems, and Crook County Fire and Rescue. Those who will benefit from CCHD’s COSSAP project include individuals with opioid use and other substance use disorders, community partner organizations, and the community as prevention curriculum is implemented into Crook County School District K-12 and outreach and educational materials are provided to the entire population.

Allegheny County applied for grant funding under Category 1a in the amount of $1,199,505 to build needed pre-arrest/pre-booking diversion pathways to harm-reduction services for individuals with SUD/COD — leveraging Allegheny County Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Pathway to Care and Recovery, the county’s new front door to treatment and support, as well as other crisis system resources. This project will support diversion from the criminal justice system at two crucial points: (1) pre-arrest, so that police officers can divert individuals to the Engagement Center, avoiding arrest and incarceration entirely; and (2) pre-booking, so that magisterial district judges can divert individuals from getting booked in the jail during their initial bail hearing. This project will also build upon planning efforts with various suburban municipalities who have expressed interest in teaming together to establish flexible options for pre-arrest diversion to mobile case managers Allegheny County’s proposed project for COSSAP addresses the high-poverty area and Qualified Opportunity Zone priority considerations, as it is intended to benefit individuals who reside in these areas and will improve public safety.

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections will focus on persons reentering the community from Pennsylvania Department of Corrections facilities who are high-frequency utilizers of services across systems (e.g., justice, health care, social services). Project efforts will focus on improving data sharing across relevant entities in the Commonwealth, with formation of a stakeholder team to advise on naloxone distribution, data sharing systems, and administrative protocols. BetaGov/Litmus at New York University (NYU) will serve as the research partner for the proposed project.

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) Enhancement Project will strengthen the organization of RIDOH’s PDMP, build dedicated staffing, engage stakeholders as well as plan and develop enhancements conforming to best practices. To further strengthen the PDMP, RIDOH is working with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to secure additional CMS funding for actual implementation of PDMP enhancements that are going to be outputs of this grant.

The City of Charleston is applying for Category 1 funding in the amount of $900,000. The Charleston County Addiction Crisis Task Force Police Assisted Peer Recovery Program, a law enforcement diversion program that will fund three positions: one project coordinator to provide data collection and analysis services to all law enforcement agencies in Charleston County and two peer support specialists to support law enforcement officers while conducting outreach. The project will also expand Charleston’s existing partnership with the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) to include officer training, oversight of peer support specialists, and the design of multimedia products to inform officers and the community of this outreach initiative. The project will fund Critical Incident Management Software (CIMS) to facilitate communication between police-based outreach programs and treatment facilities to track follow-up success, with support from Kelley Research Associates (KRA) and ODMAP to facilitate real-time overdose follow-up communication across the county. The peer support specialists will deploy with trained QRT officers for the purpose of engaging individuals who recently suffered an overdose or presented signs of a substance use disorder during an interaction with law enforcement. They will be responsible for developing recovery plans to support overdose survivors as they transition to treatment. Harm reduction kits that include fentanyl test strips, clean injection equipment, naloxone, gloves, and information on local resources so that overdose deaths and other negative health outcomes associated with drug use can be reduced will be made available to survivors and at other locations. The goal of the project is to achieve a 15 percent reduction in the number of days from overdose to outreach. The project serves the City of Charleston, which is the nexus of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area and has a population estimated at 713,000, with an estimated 411,000 in Charleston County. The project includes partnerships with the Charleston Police Department, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the North Charleston Police Department, and the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, all of which have officers serving on the Charleston County Addiction Crisis Task Force (ACT Force). The project will engage Kelley Research Associates to implement the CIMS and to evaluate the program. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high rate of primary treatment admissions for heroin, opioids, and stimulants; high rates of overdose deaths; and a lack of accessibility to treatment providers and facilities. The project will also benefit individuals residing in high-poverty areas.

Cocke County Government, located in the rural Appalachian Mountain region of eastern Tennessee, applied for grant funding under Subcategory 1b in the amount of $899,488. This project serves Tennessee's 4th Judicial District, which includes Cocke, Sevier, Jefferson, and Grainger counties and has a total combined population of 212,069. The purpose of the proposed Tennessee Recovery Oriented Compliance Strategy (TN-ROCS) Enhancement and Evaluation project is (1) to increase the capacity of this innovative court-based intervention program to link individuals across the district at high risk of overdose to appropriate, evidence-based behavioral health treatment and recovery support services; and (2) to independently validate the TN-ROCS model, such that key findings related to program quality and implementation fidelity can inform current and future data-driven expansion efforts. This project includes partnerships between Cocke County, 4th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Duane Slone, Dr. Stephen Loyd, Dr. Jennifer Anderson, American Institutes for Research, and Rulo Strategies. All four priority considerations are addressed in this application. Cocke County is a geographically isolated rural area that is plagued by persistently high rates of poverty, substance use, and overdose fatality. Additionally, one census tract within Cocke County (9207.00) has been designated as a Qualified Opportunity Zone.

The City of Madison Police Department proposes to enhance its pre-arrest diversion program with additional pathways to treatment that include self-referral, active outreach, naloxone plus (Quick Response Team), and officer prevention and intervention. Grant funds will be used to hire an addiction resource team comprised of an addiction resource officer, community paramedic, and certified peer specialist, as well as an assessment clinician for referred clients, program evaluator, and project coordinator. Additional funds will be used to purchase naloxone for community distribution. The project services residents of Madison and Dane County. Project partners include Public Health Madison and Dane County, Dane County Department of Human Services, Madison Fire Department, and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UW PHI). The project will engage Janae Goodrich of the UW PHI as the research partner.

The City of West Allis Fire Department (WAFD) is applying for Category 1 funding in the amount of $900,000. The Mobile Integrated Health MAT Access Advocate Program (MAAP) will expand the range and capability of the West Allis Fire Department’s Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) team to facilitate MIH and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services to every Milwaukee County municipality, as well as support the development of training materials to allow for application of sustainable MIH practices across the entire county. WAFD’s MIH team pairs a community paramedic and a certified peer recovery support specialist who provide targeted outreach and facilitate new enrollments or reengagements to MAT services, reaching the opioid use disorder (OUD) population via either real-time, 24/7 response to overdose emergencies or visitation to patients referred to the program from local and regional partners. MAAP will connect with each participating municipality’s local framework to establish a referral process and connect the local effort to broader regional efforts. A local hospital will provide MAT (including buprenorphine induction), mental health screening with counseling, and warm handoffs to primary care and community MAT clinics. MAPP will educate police, fire, and health departments in all Milwaukee County suburbs on how they can adopt the West Allis OUD outreach practices. MAAP will also work with county stakeholders to ensure children impacted by substance misuse receive required services. The project serves Milwaukee County, which comprises 19 municipalities and has a population of 945,726. The project includes partnerships with the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney, the Milwaukee County House of Corrections, the Milwaukee County Opioid Fatality Review team, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Milwaukee Fire Department Opioid Response Initiative, the Wisconsin Department of Health Service, and the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management. The project will engage Dr. Jennifer Hernandez-Meier of the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin as the primary research and evaluation partner. Priority considerations addressed in this application include a high rate of primary treatment admissions for heroin, opioids, and stimulants, high rates of overdose deaths, and a lack of accessibility to treatment providers and facilities.

Milwaukee County, with an estimated population of 945,726, through the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office and in collaboration with the Milwaukee Community Justice Council, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a variety of public health and public safety partners, sought $1,200,000 in Subcategory 1a grant funding to create a Milwaukee Overdose Public Health and Safety Team (OD-PHAST). This project would expand and further coordinate current efforts to address overdoses, as well as overall substance misuse issues across the county. The OD-PHAST project aims to: (1) expand the delivery and analysis of near real-time data between multiple public health and public safety partners; (2) utilize both aggregate data and insights from case reviews to develop strategies and recommendations for changes to reduce the likelihood of future overdose incidents; (3) increase capacity to deliver timely toxicology findings to public health and safety partners; (4) enrich understanding of fatal overdose risk factors through expanded next-of-kin interviews; and (5) connect families impacted by overdose, particularly children, to services to mitigate the impact of the trauma experienced. Priority considerations addressed in this application include high-poverty areas and Qualified Opportunity Zones.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Department of Health Services, and Medical College of Wisconsin, will develop and enhance local and state information sharing partnerships by adding overdose fatality review teams in eight jurisdictions, providing training to these new teams, and piloting a bidirectional information sharing of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) with the DOJ, emergency medical services, and the medical examiner to better inform prescribers of overdose activity.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources proposes a partnership among the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS); the West Virginia Poison Control Center; medical examiners; the West Virginia Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health; and EMS, fire, and law enforcement personnel. The project will develop and enhance information sharing partnerships by linking data and distributing performance measure reports with respect to prehospital naloxone administration as well as fatal and nonfatal overdoses. The University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Department of Emergency Medicine EMS Performance Improvement Center will serve as the research partner for the proposed project. A Web service will be developed that delivers data to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP).

The Cheyenne Regional Medical Center proposes a pre-arrest law enforcement assisted diversion program (LEAD) program. The project will include a part-time coordinator and a full-time case manager who will hold primary responsibility for planning and implementation of LEAD and client case management. Project partners include Laramie County, Cheyenne Police Department, Laramie County Sheriff’s Office, Cheyenne Municipal Court, and treatment providers.