Cecil County Prevention and Overdose Response Team - COSSUP

Cecil County, Maryland is pleased to have the opportunity to partner with the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-based Program (COSSUP), under category 1b, to enhance our community’s response to the opioid crisis by offering a public safety-led multidisciplinary team response to serve victims of overdose, their children and family members, and our professional partners. The initiative is entitled the Prevention and Overdose Response and Trauma Services Supports program (PORTSS). Cecil County is in the midst of a three-year grant from the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program (COSSAP). We intend to augment and supplement the activities of that grant, while assiduously maintaining separation of financial and programmatic measures. In January 2022, Cecil County officially launched the PORTSS team. The team offers services to overdose victims and family members as Cecil implements a two-generation strategy to reduce substance use disorder and consequent childhood trauma. Services include a warm handoff to treatment, trauma therapy for children and their caregivers, and assistance with accessing community resources, Additionally, the team is continuously collecting, reviewing and sharing data, providing direct therapeutic services to first responders, training and supporting public safety, school staff and other professionals, promoting community awareness, and sharing all available resources to meet the needs of this population. With additional funding, Cecil County intends to continue current efforts and provide new services, including transportation for clients in recovery houses, an annual Trunk-or-Treat event, youth diversion and tobacco, drug, and alcohol education, youth social and emotional learning, a Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS) program, continuing education for local mental health professionals, and a central data sharing system. The nature of the work supported by the PORTSS initiative requires ongoing, uninterrupted service to provide continuous trauma therapy, overdose response, prevention efforts, education, and data management. To avoid the inevitable delays that occur at the start of a new grant cycle, Cecil County is proactively applying for funding mid-cycle, attempting to insure an uninterrupted flow of services.