The county of hudson, new jersey, is applying to the comprehensive opioid, stimulant, and substance use site-based program (COSSUP) under sub-category 1A

The County of Hudson, New Jersey was awarded a $1,600,000 Project Grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-Based Program (CFDA 16.838). The 3-year grant, awarded on October 1, 2023, will support the expansion of several initiatives to prevent drug overdoses and reduce substance use across the county, which has an urban population of 702,463 residents. Key activities include continuing an Overdose Fatality Review Team, embedding community and peer navigators within the Department of Health and Human Services, launching a family support program, distributing naloxone kits, providing crisis intervention training to law enforcement, and launching a mobile outreach unit. These efforts aim to implement evidence-based, data-driven solutions at the intersection of public health, public safety, and behavioral health to improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals with substance use disorders and reduce overdoses long-term.

This project will serve the county of hudson, which has an urban population of 702,463 residents. The purpose of this project is to expand upon several current initiatives that help prevent drug overdoses and reduce incidence of substance use across the county. The allowable activities incorporated within our proposed project include law enforcement and first responder deflection and diversion; real-time data collection; services for families impacted by their family members substance use; and embedding behavioral health professionals, peers, and/or persons with lived experience along the sequential intercept model. Primary activities include: continuation of the overdose fatality review team (OFRT) BI-monthly meetings and decedent reviews for overdose fatalities; oversight of the OFRT sub-committee which develops recommendations for preventing and reducing overdose; embedding a community navigator and peer navigator within the department of health and human services who will receive clients via referrals from parole/probation officers and the courts, including family court and recovery court; launching a family support program which provides light case management and referrals/linkages to services to affected family members of justice-involved individuals with suds; community-wide naloxone kit distribution; crisis intervention trainings to the hudson county regional SWAT team and other officers; and launching a mobile unit outreach program in collaboration with the hudson county sheriffs office. Overall, the proposed project will support the implementation and expansion of several evidence-based, data-driven solutions at the intersection of public health, public safety, and behavioral health. This project is critical to ensuring best practices at all levels of care to improve outcomes of justice-involved individuals with suds and reduce overdoses in the long-term.