BJA FY 2023 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program Training and Technical Assistance: 1d States

Finding sustainable solutions to the issue of prevention, treatment, and recovery in communities across the United States demands a multidisciplinary approach and requires knowledge in the sectors of behavioral health, public health, and public safety. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recognizes this need and supports community-based programs through the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP). With grantees across the nation, program goals and needs are as diverse as the communities themselves; to address the array of barriers and facilitators faced by grantees, BJA created the Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program. RTI International (legal name Research Triangle Institute) has had the privilege of serving as the state-based grantee TTA provider on the current contract and is uniquely qualified to build on this experience. As such, RTI is pleased to apply for the BJA FY 2023 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program Training and Technical Assistance: 1d States in the amount of three million dollars.

RTI will partner with experts in public health, policy, racial equity, stake holder buy-in, harm reduction, and youth programming as we continue to grow our portfolio of innovative COSSUP activities. The RTI TTA model utilizes a blended, site-centric approach that incorporates practitioners and subject matter experts (SMEs). Our approach allows the TTA Team to create resources and tools rooted in adult theory learning for state-based grantees implementing programs to expand services in their community. To facilitate tailored TTA, grantees will be provided a Coach with skills and expertise well-suited to each program. By hosting regular check-in calls with grantees, the TTA Team will be able to identify program trends and emerging issues to direct group TTA. This is critical to building knowledge and capacity for the field and for productively collaborating with BJA, fellow COSSUP TTA providers, and the COSSUP Online Resources Center.

We aim to continue and expand our TTA efforts to assist state-based grantees in achieving their program objectives by (1) promoting site engagement and providing tailored TTA, (2) expanding outreach and dissemination within the COSSUP community and the broader field, and (3) consistently collaborating and communicating with BJA and the COSSUP TTA Collaborative. These three objectives, in combination with internal, partner, and SME knowledge and capacity, will result in efficient and practical TTA for state grantees that will strengthen programs and ensure the sustainment of evidence-based solutions to address substance use at the national, state, local, and tribal levels.