Prioritize Real-Time Data Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination

The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, through the Santa Fe Fire Department (SFFD), has implemented the Santa Fe Opioid Outreach Project (SFOO) to address increasing opioid overdose rates in the region. The project aims to increase the quality and prevalence of prevention and treatment services and to reduce opioid incidence and fatalities through outreach and response programs; intensive follow-up and case management with overdose survivors and their families to link them with support services and treatment; dissemination of naloxone kits, harm-reduction training, and prevention education; more efficient use of data to identify potential opioid misuse; and increased collaboration across multidisciplinary sectors in the community. The SFOO coordinator and the project paramedic utilize patient care records systems and first responder data to respond to overdoses and to any individual identified as being at risk for opiate overdose; establish personal contact with overdose survivors and their families; and provide resources for a successful intervention. Upon program launch, the New Mexico Department of Health contacted SFOO requesting assistance in opiate outreach to individuals identified through a mandatory reporting requirement of the local emergency room as well as syndromic surveillance. Although the emergency room has struggled with timely and accurate reporting, this partnership allowed SFOO staff members to access more contact information and, we believe, has helped increase SFOO's percentage of successful outreach attempts. Because of the early success of the SFOO project, the Santa Fe County Fire Department (SFCFD) has created a complementary program and has assigned a SFCFD EMT. The department is in the process of contracting a social worker to be co-housed with SFOO staff members to extend SFOO’s reach into Santa Fe County. The City of Santa Fe Police Department has been operating a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program (second in the nation), and SFFD was asked to take over the case management aspect of the LEAD program. It is projected that this will take place in July 2019. Recently, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office (SFCSO) has expressed interest in providing LEAD referrals to SFFD as well. What started as a single agency project is, with the capacity made possible by DOJ BJA COAP funding, becoming a Regionalized Public Safety Opiate Outreach program.

Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center will expand the A Way Out program, which was launched in 2016. The program will add a crisis counselor to provide linkages to treatment, a navigator to provide case management and recovery support for participants, and a project coordinator. The research partners will be Dr. David Kosson, Dr. Kimberly Elliot, and Peter Corcoran from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. The applicant agreed to make data available through the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP).

The Manchester Police Department will enhance the existing Adverse Childhood Experiences Response Team Enhancement (ACERT) Project. The ACERT response team includes a Manchester police officer to provide law enforcement, security, and safety; a crisis services advocate to provide support and explain available victim services; and a community health worker to prevent retraumatization. Plymouth State University will serve as the research partner for the proposed project. Training in trauma-informed services will also be provided to first responders. The applicant agreed to make data available through the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP).