Expansion of High Risk Mitigation Team

Abstract

The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office is seeking $1,300,000 in grant support as a Subcategory 1b – A suburban area or medium-size county with a population between 100,000 and 500,000.  If funded by the BJA the Sheriff’s Office will; 1) Expand a law enforcement diversion co-response team previously funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance modeled after LEAD, PAARI, QRT, and traditional care management to provide peer services within the the rural areas of the county 2) Provided Peer Care Management Services in the Ulster County Jail to provide MAT programing support, as well as pre/post re-entry services to assist the coordination of re-entry for individuals with SUD; linking individuals with community-based treatment and recovery supports which increase access to behavioral health care, and following up with individuals for up to post release. 3) Provide naloxone vending machines in public spaces at the jail and in the community as a harm reduction measure for close networks of individuals experiencing opioid use disorder to gain easy and equitable access. The project includes collaboration between Ulster County Department of Mental Health, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and Opioid Response as County Law Enforcement's High Risk Mitigation Team.

This expansion project aims to increase collaboration between law enforcement and the community with the following goals: 1) Reduce opioid fatalities in the rural region of the county by 40% in three years. 2) Decrease opioid fatalities among incarcerated individuals upon re-entry by 40% over the course of three years. 3) Increase naloxone distribution to the families and networks of individuals experiencing opioid use disorder by 100% within three years.

Priority Considerations 1A: This program will provide specific outreach to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities through various partnerships, diversifying the HRMT team, and offering support and linkage to substance use providers from the BIPOC community.  The goal of all proposed programs is to enhance relationships between law enforcement and BIPOC communities struggling with substance use disorder by ensuring that all outreach and practices are trauma informed and sensitive to the historical and systemic racism.