Increasing access and improving outcomes for Hennepin County persons with substance use disorder.

Hennepin County proposes to meet the following three goals:  increase access to Opioid Use Care (OUC) treatment options for detained individuals who are disproportionately African American and Native America; increase housing stability for Native American residents in need of OUC; and reduce opioid overdose-related deaths by increasing distribution of Naloxone within African American and Native American communities. Services will cover the geographic area of Hennepin County, the most populous and diverse county within Minnesota.   
 
The proposed activities will meaningfully advance equity and remove barriers to accessing services for African American and Native American communities, who have been historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by opioid use. The program will support the Indigenous People’s Task Force, who primarily serves and is led by Native American residents. Additionally, Hennepin County has experienced a greater than 50% (66% actual) increase in recent drug related overdose deaths.   
 
To increase access to OUC for detainees, Hennepin County will hire a dedicated Sheriff’s deputy to remove the barrier of transportation and escort shortages that are preventing detainees from receiving and attending such treatment.  Hennepin County expects this will increase detainee OUC visits by at least 3,285 during the grant period with a high-end goal of reaching 6,570 additional visits.  In addition, the purchase of Omnicell Anywhere RN software will be implemented, increasing nursing and medication distribution efficiencies, expecting increases for detainees to receive medications in a more timely manner without gaps. 
 
 To increase housing stability for Native American residents in need of OUC Hennepin County will subcontract with the Indigenous People’s Task Force to hire a dedicated .5 housing navigator to assist an additional 472 Native American participants beyond current service levels to gain housing stability while seeking OUC. 

Hennepin County will seek an overall reduction in opioid overdose-related deaths by increasing distribution of Naloxone by evaluating current levels and sources of distribution, identifying gaps in the network that would most impact African American and Native American residents, and providing training and technical assistance to support new providers.