Supporting opioid addiction recovery (soar) will provide medication-assisted treatment in combination with psychosocial and recovery support services to individuals with opioid use disorder. -…

Supporting opioid addiction recovery (soar) will provide medication-assisted treatment in combination with psychosocial and recovery support services to individuals with opioid use disorder. - steppingstone incorporated's (SS) supporting opioid addiction recovery (soar) proposes to provide medication-assisted treatment (mat) in greater new bedford (NB) and surrounding rural areas to individuals with an opioid use disorder (OUD), including those with a CO-occurring mental health disorder (COD). Special populations targeted by soar will include persons with cods and the hispanic/latino population, particularly those with limited english proficiency (LEP). Mat will be provided in combination with comprehensive psychosocial and recovery support services which promote recovery and improved functioning in other life domains. Soar will utilize an outreach and engagement worker and recovery coaches, as well as collaboration with the new bedford police department, greater new bedford opioid task force, and greater new bedford community health center to identify individuals with OUD and at risk of overdose and engage them in mat and recovery support services. Through outreach and marketing efforts, soar will enroll and serve 550 individuals over the 5-year grant term. Once enrolled, soar's psychiatrist, nurse practitioners, masters-level clinicians and recovery coaches will provide ongoing treatment and interventions to support successful recovery and promote an improved quality of life. Patients will be evaluated and inducted on buprenorphine/naloxone or another type of mat as appropriate. Nurse practitioners will closely monitor and regularly meet with each soar participant to ensure effectiveness of treatment. Soar clinicians will provide comprehensive OUD psychosocial services utilizing evidence-based practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy, integrated treatment for CO-occurring disorders, and motivational interviewing. Soar will utilize steppingstone's expansive continuum of care, as well as linkage agreements with a variety of local organizations to provide comprehensive recovery support services such as referral to permanent housing, employment, education, childcare, primary medical care, and other services as needed. Soar staff will also include 1 FTE project director and .25 FTE evaluator. Other services will include crisis care, recovery planning, independent living skills training, discharge planning, and assistance obtaining entitlements and employment. The goals of project soar are to expand/enhance access to mat for individuals with OUD, reduce opioid use, minimize risks associated with OUD, and promote treatment engagement and other positive outcomes by integrating treatment with recovery support services.