Project Grant H79TI084870

FEDERATION MOBILE SUD TEAM - FEDERATION OF ORGANIZATIONS (FEDERATION) INTENDS TO DELIVER A MOBILE SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM UTILIZING MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT), COUPLED WITH A COMPREHENSIVE SET OF PSYCHOSOCIAL SERVICES TARGETING MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQA+ POPULATION. THIS PROGRAM WILL UTILIZE A MOBILE TEAM OF CLINICAL AND BEHAVIORAL STAFF AND INNOVATIVE METHODS TO SERVE INDIVIDUALS SUFFERING WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) AND OTHER CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS (COD). FEDERATION WILL TARGET MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQA+ POPULATION, HOWEVER WILL SERVE INDIVIDUALS REGARDLESS OF AGE, ETHNICITY, RACE, BACKGROUND, OR INCOME LEVEL WHO RESIDE IN EITHER NASSAU OR SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY. THESE TWO COUNTIES MAKE UP LONG ISLAND, WHICH HAS A COMBINED POPULATION OF 2.834 MILLION. SUBSTANCE ABUSE, INCLUDING OPIOID RELATED DEATHS HAVE STEADILY RISEN OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST DECADE ACROSS LONG ISLAND AND THIS HAS ONLY BEEN EXACERBATED BY THE PANDEMIC. ACCORDING TO RECENT CDC DATA, THE PANDEMIC RESULTED IN A RISE IN OPIOID RELATED DEATHS OF LONG ISLAND RESIDENTS; 34% INCREASE IN NASSAU COUNTY AND A RISE OF 12% IN SUFFOLK COUNTY. ADDITIONALLY, MEMBERS OF THE LBGTQA+ POPULATION ARE AT A GREATER RISK FOR SUD. DATA FROM THE 2018 NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH (NSDUH), SUGGESTS THAT SUBSTANCE USE PATTERNS REPORTED BY SEXUAL MINORITY ADULTS ARE HIGHER COMPARED TO THOSE REPORTED BY HETEROSEXUAL ADULTS. FEDERATION INTENDS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO SUD SERVICES INCLUDING MAT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH OPIOID USE DISORDER (OUD) IN ORDER TO HELP MITIGATE THE INCREASE IN OPIOID AND OTHER DRUG USE ACROSS LONG ISLAND COMMUNITIES. FEDERATION WILL DEVELOP A ROBUST OUTREACH PLAN INCLUDING STRATEGIES TO IDENTIFY LGBTQA+ INDIVIDUALS WITH SUD WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM TARGETED SERVICES. THIS SUB-POPULATION IS OFTEN UNDERSERVED WITH VERY FEW SOCIAL SUPPORTS, LEADING THEM TO INCREASED RISKY BEHAVIORS. AS A MAJOR PROVIDER OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS, SENIOR, VETERAN AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES, HOUSING AND SUPPORT SERVICES ON LONG ISLAND AND IN NEW YORK CITY, FEDERATION HAS EXPERTISE IN THE DELIVERY OF CLINICAL SERVICES TO AT RISK POPULATIONS. FEDERATION OPERATES AN ARTICLE 31 MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC AND ARTICLE 32 SUB STANCE ABUSE CLINIC AS WELL AS A MYRIAD OF MOBILE TREATMENT SERVICES. FEDERATION WILL UTILIZE THIS EXPERTISE TO BENEFIT THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PROGRAM. UTILIZING A MOBILE TREATMENT TEAM, WE WILL MEET INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR HOMES AND COMMUNITIES WHICH WILL BOLSTER CLIENT COMFORT DURING TREATMENT, COMPARED TO A TYPICAL OUTPATIENT SETTING AND WILL INCREASE OUR PROGRAM'S REACH AND THE OVERALL ACCESS TO SUD SERVICES FOR LONG ISLANDERS. OUR TEAM WILL CONSIST OF A PSYCHIATRIC NURSE PRACTITIONER, LICENSED MASTER'S SOCIAL WORKER/CREDENTIALED ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELOR, AND A PEER RECOVERY SPECIALIST WHO WILL PROVIDE TREATMENT INCLUDING MAT AS WELL AS VARIOUS PSYCHOSOCIAL SERVICES INCLUDING THE USE OF SUPPORT GROUPS AND PROVISION OF ACCESS TO A HARM REDUCTION VENDING MACHINE. OVER THE COURSE OF THE THREE-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD, FEDERATION EXPECTS TO PROVIDE MAT TO 150 INDIVIDUALS THAT IDENTIFY AS LGBTQA+ SUFFERING WITH SUD ACROSS LONG ISLAND AS WE ANTICIPATE PROVIDING TREATMENT TO 50 INDIVIDUALS EACH YEAR. FEDERATION WILL PROVIDE ALL SERVICES WITH EVIDENCED BASED PRACTICES, A TRAUMA INFORMED LENS, AND WILL UTILIZE A HARM REDUCTION MODEL. THROUGH THE UTILIZATION OF THIS INNOVATIVE MODEL OF CARE AND OUR ORGANIZATION'S DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN DIRECT SERVICES DELIVERY, WE EXPECT TO DECREASE ILLICIT DRUG USE AND DRUG RELATED DEATHS WITHIN THE LGBTQA+ POPULATION ON LONG ISLAND.