Peer support workers to improve access to substance use treatment and recovery services - the erie county, NY department of health, on behalf of the erie county opioid epidemic task force, will…

Peer support workers to improve access to substance use treatment and recovery services - the erie county, NY department of health, on behalf of the erie county opioid epidemic task force, will implement a peer-navigation demonstration using evidence-based interventions including peer support services and sbirt (screening brief intervention referral to treatment) in primary care settings. This project will focus on high risk adults with mental and substance use disorder needs in primary care practices that are not adequately connected to behavioral health treatment, and/or recovery services. This project will serve over 250 unduplicated adults during the project year. Persons at risk for substance use disorders (SUD) or in recovery, often relapse or fail sustained treatment because the health care system is fragmented and not patient centric. The medical and behavioral health systems are separated by confidentiality laws, licensing, and structure that frustrates persons seeking care from both systems. The need for peer navigation services is to overcome these system barriers in a trauma informed manner. In prior initiatives with medical offices to address SUD and pregnancy, they found that peers were critical for referral to treatment, but they had no health plan reimbursement to sustain this essential function. This is a demonstration project to establish this peer navigation function with sustainment by health plans. Therefore, this one-year project has two goals: goal 1 to conduct a peer navigator demonstration to enhance integrated addiction services in primary care practices. OBJ 1.1 establish evidence-based work plans for the peer navigator demonstration within 10 primary care practices; OBJ 1.2 conduct sbirt screening protocols to identify high-risk patients with addiction disorders in primary care practices; and OBJ 1.3 assign highest risk patients to the peer navigator for linkage to integrated recovery support services in behavioral health treatment agencies. Goal 2 to conduct a sustainment assessment of the peer navigator demonstration in partnership with health plans. OBJ. 2.1 establish a sustainment leadership team comprised of health plan and other stakeholder representatives; OBJ. 2.2 monitor cost saving impact and participant outcomes (patient, care team, and peer); and OBJ. 2.3 develop program sustainment plan.