Peer recovery network - the roanoke valley collective response, a project of the roanoke valley-alleghany regional commission, proposes to build out a first responders peer recovery initiative to…

Peer recovery network - the roanoke valley collective response, a project of the roanoke valley-alleghany regional commission, proposes to build out a first responders peer recovery initiative to assist EMS and law enforcement in the catchment areas with addressing the increase in overdose calls, to prevent repeat calls, and to work to facilitate "warm hand offs" of individuals who have overdosed. The covid-19 pandemic produced record high overdoses nationally, but southwest virginia, which includes almost all of our catchment areas, has been heavily impacted by the addiction epidemic. According to the virginia department of health, from 2019-2020 the region saw a 22% increase in all drug overdoses, and a 25% increase in opioid overdoses. The region saw a 79% increase in heroin overdoses, compared to the state average of a 36% increase. The proposed first responders peer recovery initiative responds to the growing regional need of EMS and law enforcement peers with lived experience to assist in on-sight overdose calls, training and education, outreach, and networking between first responders and the addiction recovery professionals and community. This collaboration will allow for peers to be present on 911 overdose calls so that they can provide additional support to EMS, those experiencing overdose, and family members on the scene of overdose. This initiative is based on the best practices learned from a pilot project with salem VA EMS and the hope initiative. The hope initiative was started in 2016 to assist individuals with substance use disorders who are seeking addiction treatment and recovery resources. IT is a peer-based model, staffed entirely by certified peer recovery specialists (cprs) who work with individuals and families by providing information on treatment and recovery resources personalized to meet client needs as well as assisting in the program application process. The hope initiative works closely with many community partner agencies to help bridge gaps to treatment, and educate the community at large about substance use disorder. The proposed first responders peer recovery initiative will utilize best practices from the hope initiative which include live updates of the participant electronic health record, real-time consent forms, reporting procedures for EMS, and peer support during overdose "spike" hours. The requested peers will work on this project to engage in overdose response calls. Their role will be to facilitate linkage between the participant and treatment and recovery resources. The overarching goals of this initiative are providing live assistance to EMS and law enforcement while seeking to reduce the changes of repeat overdose calls, introducing participants into the spectrum of treatment and recovery, and providing information on resources across the recovery spectrum. The cprs will act as care coordinators after handoff from EMS and law enforcement, assisting with reducing the barriers to treatment, housing, insurance status, support groups, and other needed services to create a foundation for achieving long term recovery. These services will produce a number of measurable deliverables including: participant counts, treatment resources utilized, counts of CO-occurring disorders including mental health, participant demographic information including insurance, employment, and housing status, and other recovery service variables. Alongside the overdose response program, we will provide various trainings including : revive training (overdose reversal and narcan distribution), trauma basics, compassion fatigue, and more to all participating EMS and law enforcement that are in need.