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/Drug Take-Back 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.