Lexington Overdose Outreach Project 2

The Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) was developed as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) legislation. COSSAP’s purpose is to provide financial and technical assistance to states, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support those impacted by illicit opioids, stimulants, and other drugs of abuse.

The objective of Category 1 is to encourage and support the development of comprehensive, locally driven responses to opioids, stimulants, and other substances that expand access to supervision, treatment, and recovery support services across the criminal justice system; support law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs for nonviolent drug offenders; promote education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by substance abuse.

The Lexington Overdose Outreach Project-2 (LOOP-2) has five specific aims. The first aim of LOOP-2 is to continue and expand a multidisciplinary response team of law enforcement, fire and emergency services, treatment providers, recovery advocates, and other community partners. Second, LOOP-2 will provide outreach to individual survivors of drug overdose identified by emergency response by the Lexington Division of Fire and Emergency Medical Services to connect them either with treatment and recovery services or harm-reduction services, including naloxone. The third aim is through the addition of a case manager to the project for continued follow-up with individuals who elect not to seek treatment services when met by the response team. The fourth aim is to bolster the pre-arrest diversion program at Lexington Police Department (LPD) where all police officers will be trained to assist individuals with whom they come in contact by providing connections to treatment and recovery services or harm-reduction services. This project serves Lexington-Fayette County. The project includes partnerships between NewVista, Hope Center and Chrysalis House, Voices of Hope, Isaiah House, and Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. Priority considerations addressed in this application include an area disproportionally affected by the abuse of illicit opioids and prescription drugs with high rates of primary treatment admissions for heroin and high rates of overdose deaths from heroin and other opioids.

CA/NCF