COAP TTA Program: Category 4

Signed into law on July 22, 2016, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) is the first major federal substance use disorder treatment and recovery legislation in 40 years and the most comprehensive effort to address the opioid epidemic. CARA establishes a comprehensive, coordinated, and balanced strategy through enhanced grant programs that expand prevention and education efforts while also promoting treatment and recovery. The purpose of this program is to deliver training and technical assistance (TTA) to state and local criminal justice and substance abuse treatment agencies, prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), and their partner agencies in sites selected through the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program (COAP) solicitation. This TTA program is designed to complement the site-based competitive solicitation and to provide targeted customized TTA to existing and future COAP sites. In category 4, the awardee will provide direct support to state agencies receiving grant funds under the FY 2019 COAP site-based solicitation, and will work with other COAP TTA providers or other subject matter experts to provide TTA to COAP statewide grantees.

The Research Triangle Institute (RTI) will partner with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the National Governors Association to provide direct support to state agencies receiving grant funds under the FY 2019 COAP site-based solicitation. This includes assistance in addressing implementation or training issues, as well as in collecting and reporting program performance measures and supporting program evaluation. RTI and its partners will also provide two-page briefs about each statewide grantee annually; author an annual brief on the status of statewide COAP projects that summarizes implementation issues, lessons learned, and the status of each statewide project; and author four practitioner-friendly publications on topics trending among statewide grantees.

CA/NCF

Although many state and local agencies have an intimate understanding of their communities’ needs and the civic investment needed to ensure program success, the reality of program implementation can seem daunting. This is particularly true of the opioid, stimulant, and substance use epidemic because it presents challenges in identifying, responding, treating, and supporting those directly and indirectly affected. Since early 2020, RTI International has partnered with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and National Governors’ Association (NGA) to address COSSAP State-Based Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) and the Rural Response to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) demonstration sites. In that time, the RTI Team has provided TTA to states and rural jurisdictions that build or enhance thoughtful, sustainable programs aimed at addressing their communities’ needs. Our team has provided guidance in developing partnerships among many stakeholders and navigating the challenges inherent in fostering successful collaborations across multiple service agencies to achieve a common goal.  RTI’s multidisciplinary project team and research experience, PERF’s grasp on the policing and criminal justice community, and NGA’s direct engagement with policymakers will continue to provide the Bureau of Justice Assistance with a seasoned and accomplished team to meet these challenges.

 
Effective TTA relies on a keen understanding of the target audience, which requires the TTA provider to develop trusting relationships while gathering important information about the TA requestor’s needs and challenges. RTI has established successful mechanisms to achieve this goal with dedicated site liaisons.  Since RTI joined the COSSAP TTA Collaborative, our team has developed and delivered TTA through a variety of learning modalities, including interactive webinars, podcasts, written materials, and peer-to-peer learning communities. These TTA deliverables were standalone products addressing a specific topic or sequential, allowing the recipient to build their knowledge about a complex topic at their own pace. Additionally, RTI employed a flexible and dynamic model when responding to TA requests that recognized the uniqueness of each recipient especially with challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we have incorporated sustainability as part of our TTA approach to provide recipients with tools that result in actionable uptake leading to enhanced programming. Our team’s experience in data integration and evaluation has guided and supported each site to improve their ability to capture important programmatic data and implementation strategies. Integrating our TTA team’s expertise with these activities has allowed the state-based and RROE COSSAP sites to thrive even when faced with adversity.