Improving mat access and mental health services to vulnerable groups - this proposal aims to address unmet substance use and mental health needs of persons with opioid use disorder in allegheny…

Improving mat access and mental health services to vulnerable groups - this proposal aims to address unmet substance use and mental health needs of persons with opioid use disorder in allegheny county, pennsylvania. This project is designed to provide medication assisted treatment (mat) access to areas and people in pittsburgh disproportionately impacted by overdoses and overdose facilities, including people recently released from jails, people experiencing homelessness, african american individuals and other underserved and vulnerable populations. Through the expansion of innovative mobile low-barrier mat services, people with OUD will be able to access life-saving medications when and where they need IT most. The mobile model includes street outreach teams that can find people who drop out of care. This project will add services to a post incarceration clinic, a mobile mat van coordinated with the local syringe service program, and integration of psychiatric services at each site. Staffing of these services includes a psychiatrist, an advanced practice mat provider, a social worker, a community health worker and two certified peer recovery specialists to expand the reach of mat services and coordinate care for those with OUD. Multidisciplinary team-based care is a critical component to a holistic service delivery system and will provide expanded mental health and addiction services for persons with OUD who have difficulty accessing care at typical healthcare settings. Goals for this project are to increase the number of people taking medication for opioid use disorder through low-barrier mat services with buprenorphine/naloxone or naltrexone products, improve participant engagement in mat services, reduce prescription opioid misuse and illicit substance use among participants by increasing known protective factors against opioid misuse, and improve mental health symptoms of participants whose psychiatric disorders may contribute to relapse. AHN anticipates serving 250 participants a year or 1,250 over the lifetime of the grant. To best meet the needs of the participants we will employ evidence based practices (EBP) to achieve our goals. These evidence based practices incorporate medication assisted treatment, a healthcare for the homeless model of care, and trauma informed care.