The commonwealth of massachusetts proposes to develop and implement the diversion to care (DIVCARE) project; a responsive and adaptive approach to reduce exposure to the criminal justice system and…

The Department of Public Safety Executive Office of Public Safety Division, a U.S. local government entity in Massachusetts, has been awarded a $7,000,000 Project Grant by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and other Substances Use Program (CFDA 16.838). The funding will support the Diversion to Care (DIVCARE) project, which aims to reduce criminal justice system involvement and address racial inequities by strengthening regional implementation of interventions along the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM). Key activities include statewide coordination to maximize resources, improve data surveillance, and better coordinate responses; incorporation of communities experiencing racial/ethnic inequities in project design, implementation, and evaluation; implementation of interventions that reduce criminal justice exposure and focus on racial inequities; integration of peers and individuals with lived experience; and expanded utilization of evidence-based harm reduction, addiction treatment, and recovery support resources across intercept points. The grant period runs from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026.

The commonwealth of massachusetts proposes to develop and implement the diversion to care (DIVCARE) project; a responsive and adaptive approach to reduce exposure to the criminal justice system and alleviate racial inequity by strengthening regional implementation of interventions along the sequential intercept model (SIM) grounded in community input and participation in project design, implementation, and evaluation. The goals of DIVCARE are to improve statewide coordination and increase access to harm reduction, addiction treatment, and recovery services in 6 overdose burdened communities through reduced justice system involvement. Project activities will include: (1) statewide coordination to maximize existing resources, improve data surveillance systems, and better coordinate responses to events such as seizures and clinic closures; (2) incorporation of communities experiencing racial and ethnic inequities in project design, implementation, and evaluation; (3) implementation of interventions that reduce exposure to the criminal justice system and focus on racial inequities; (4) integration of peers and people with lived experience in intervention activities; and (5) expanded utilization of evidence-based harm reduction, addiction treatment, and recovery support resources across the intercept points. Site selection factors will include readiness, capacity, need, and geography. Expected outcomes include: improved realtime data collection and data sharing agreements at the state and local level; expansion of culturally specific interventions advised by a community feedback process; integration of people with lived experience into the intersecting criminal justice and addiction care continuum; strengthened regional coordination of community-based harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services across the intercept points. Local jurisdictions and their community residents who are at risk of both criminal justice involvement and harms from the use of opioids, stimulants, and other substances are the intended beneficiaries of the project. Subrecipient activities will include creation of data-sharing agreements between partners, using SIM map workshops to identify intercept points in need of strengthening, integration of culturally specific advisory groups including peers with lived experience to approve proposed intervention activities, and enhanced utilization of evidence-based harm reduction, addiction treatment, and recovery support services across the intercept points focused on racial inequities. This project will be aided by training and technical assistance plan using nationally renowned experts in addiction, criminal justice, and SIM mapping. The only active BJA-cossap grant award at the state jurisdiction level, the eotc managed project north (awarded FY20), will end 9/30/23.