Erie County Evidence Based Case Management Initiative for Adult Drug Treatment Courts

Erie County Evidence Based Case Management Initiative for Adult Drug Treatment Courts

Category 2 requested: Enhancement
Jurisdiction: NY 8th Judicial District, Erie County- 50 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14202-3803

Drug court type: Adult Drug Treatment Courts (ADTCs) servicing non-violent offenders with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorder; pre- adjudication.
Designated drug court judge: Honorable Craig D. Hannah, Chief Judge of Buffalo City Court
Funding Requested: $750,000 with $250,000 match from the fiscal agent lead applicant, Erie County Department of Mental Health ($1,000,000 total project over 4 years).
Seeking priority 1(A) to address racial equity issues (see page 9 in narrative).
Current maximum daily participant capacity: 500
Current operating level: 325
Increase in daily participant level due to Grant: 20 in year 1, up by 30 in years 2, 3, and 4.     
Total Target Goal: 110 new clients to receive services with grant funds.
Minimum: 12 months; Maximum: 24 months; and Average length participation: 18 months
Project Summary:

The Erie County, NY, Department of Mental Health (DMH), on behalf of the NY 8th Judicial District, is applying for funding to enhance case management capacity to accelerate linkage to MAT services and address the issue of unresolved trauma, particularly for those with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental illness, often common in low-income minority communities. Trauma contributes to substance use and criminogenic behaviors, including poor social problem-solving skills.

This project serves Erie County with a population of over 950,000 dispersed across 1,043 square miles in Western New York State. Consistent with NADCP standards (see page 12), the purpose is to enhance trauma informed services to individuals at high risk for substance abuse harm using evidence-based practice (EBP) including the MISSION-CJ (Maintaining Independence and Sobriety through Systems Integration, Outreach, and Networking - Criminal Justice) recovery support model that is trauma responsive. The model consists of an evidence-based Critical Time Intervention (CTI), Dual Recovery Therapy (DRT), Peer Support, Vocational Support, and Trauma-Informed Care with rapid MAT linkage.

Goal 1- Implement new EBP Trauma Screen & MISSION-CJ in Adult Drug Treatment Courts- new Trauma Screen Process and training in 5 Adult Drug Courts; Goal 2- Expand Case Management Capacity by 20 cases in year 1 and 30 cases / year thereafter using new EBP- accelerating MAT initiation and retention; Goal 3- Evaluate, Disseminate, and Sustain EBP Case Management.

Although the District has active federal funding, this proposal supports enhancements in five traditional adult drug courts without federal support (see page 4 for details).