St. Joseph County BJA FY 20 COSSAP

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 County of St. Joseph COSSAP Project will employ a collaborative and comprehensive “gap-filling” approach to develop, implement, and/or expand/enhance existing trauma-informed evidence-based programming in order to identify, respond to, treat, and support those affected by illicit opioids, stimulants, and other substances. Objectives include the expansion of access to supervision, treatment, and recovery support services across the criminal justice system. The project will also create Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) to enhance co-responder crisis intervention teams to connect individuals to trauma-informed and evidence-based co-occurring SUD treatment and recovery support services; provide overdose education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by substance abuse. This project serves St. Joseph County, Michigan, with a population of 60,964. The project includes partnerships between the 45th Circuit Court of Michigan, sheriff, Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, defense attorney, Office of the Prosecutor, Community Corrections, program evaluator, and program coordinator.

CA/NCF