City of Northampton receives $1.2M Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Northampton Department Of Health And Human Services (ndhhs) community response for overdose prevention and recovery - the northampton Department Of Health And Human Services (ndhhs) community response for overdose prevention and recovery will utilize a data-driven approach to expand the region's overdose response and community care team, serving residents of northampton, all hampshire county municipalities, and participating drug addiction recovery team (dart) communities in hampden county. This project aims to improve access to fda-approved opioid overdose reversal medications (oorm), and leverage a hub-and-spoke model to engage community anchor agencies, increasing linkages to care in geographically isolated regions. The project will serve a regional population of approximately 380,336 residents, reaching 130 unduplicated individuals in year 1, 368 in year 2, 445 in year 3, and 545 in year 4, totaling 1,668 unduplicated individuals over four years. The population of focus includes emerging adolescents and individuals older than eighteen affected by substance use disorder (sud) and co-occurring behavioral health conditions, individuals who have experienced a non-fatal overdose, people not engaged in treatment or recovery services, family members, first responders, medical reserve corp volunteers, and community anchor organization staff. Project strategies will expand the community responder workforce to build first-responder emergency capacity; provide evidence-informed training for responders, medical reserve corps volunteers, and community anchors; implement evidence-based overdose education and oorm distribution based on geographic data; grow linkages to care through trusted community anchor organizations using a hub-and-spoke model; and conduct a synergistic evaluation in partnership with university of Massachusetts amherst. Project goals are to: (1) strengthen the capacity of community responders, first responders, and community anchor organizations to prevent overdose and connect individuals to care; (2) informed by data, expand access to overdose education, oorm, and community-based overdose prevention resources; and (3) increase outreach, referrals, and linkages to treatment and recovery through trusted community anchor organizations. In the first six months, an analysis of ems data and emerging drug trends will help determine the most efficient expansion and training for community responders and public safety partners. Input from the steering committee and community will shape training for 75% of first responders in 50% of dhhs dart communities and 25% of community anchor agency staff-reaching a total of 215 individuals over the project's duration. Measurable objectives include hiring two additional community responders in year 1; providing 16 overdose prevention and oorm training events annually to 30 anchor staff and 100 community members, engaging 585 individuals over the project; expanding oorm availability based on regional need; implementing enhanced data collection systems; and increasing engagement by 25% annually with individuals who do not routinely access traditional healthcare or behavioral health services. These activities support samhsa's strategic priorities by preventing overdose, strengthening crisis response, expanding linkages to treatment and recovery, and improving outcomes for individuals with sud and co-occurring behavioral health conditions.