Community Paramedic-Facilitated Stimulant Treatment and Access to Resources (CP-STAR)

This project will target suburban Milwaukee County, expanding access to evidence-based treatment for stimulant use disorder and harm reduction through the Community Paramedic-led Stimulant Treatment and Access to Resources (CP-STAR). Overdoses often involve synthetic opioids, as well as stimulants—particularly psychostimulants and cocaine. This trend is mirrored in suburban municipalities of Milwaukee County , where some area saw up to 3.75 times increases in methamphetamine involvement from 2018. 
 
CP teams can address overdose in multiple ways, including providing harm reduction, connection to treatment, peer support, withdrawal management, and initiation of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD). This project, led by West Allis Fire Department (WAFD), will use CP teams to address the impact of opioids and fentanyl in the specified communities. WAFD will leverage and position existing resources to address the burden of these substances. CP-STAR will serve a suburban Milwaukee population of 354,820 people spanning 1,189 miles of 18 geographically fragmented municipalities.   
 
The WAFD in partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) will conduct a comprehensive investigation into local drug trends, treatment resources, and harm reduction practices for the stimulant users at risk of fentanyl exposure. They will also assess the current inventory of CP practices in suburban Milwaukee, identifying assets and gaps. These results will inform Goals 2-5, bolstering immediate response to municipalities underserved by MIH, while working with municipalities to provide sustainable services for stimulants and fentanyl. This approach will lead to increased engagement in harm reduction and treatment, and decreases in substance use and overdoses. CP-STAR will provide hands-on training, consultation and follow-up with suburban municipalities to ensure training infusion into everyday practice. Finally, the project will assess CP demand to fully engage in addressing stimulants, uncovering new ways CPs might provide services or support treatment outside clinical settings. When feasible, CP-STAR will pilot these new activities. MCW will collect a number of process and outcome measures at county, municipal, CP, and patient levels and facilitate the dissemination of outcomes and deliverables.