TN SOR IV: changing behavior, coordinating care, and restoring lives - tennessee department of mental health and substance abuse services (TDMHSAS) will work to enhance current prevention, harm…

TN SOR IV: changing behavior, coordinating care, and restoring lives - tennessee department of mental health and substance abuse services (TDMHSAS) will work to enhance current prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery activities in response to the opioid epidemic through TN SOR IV: changing behavior, coordinating care, and restoring lives. TN SOR IV will increase access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), reduce unmet treatment need due to OUD and/or stimulant use disorder, and reduce opioid overdose-related deaths. TN SOR IV populations of focus are individuals at high risk of overdose, individuals with a diagnosis of opioid use disorder, and individuals with a diagnosis of stimulant use disorder. The geographic catchment area for TN SOR IV is the state of tennessee. TDMHSAS estimates that IT will serve 2,606 individuals who have an OUD and/or stimulant use disorder through treatment, 1,233 though recovery support activities, and 76,520 through prevention services. Over the course of the TN SOR IV project TDMHSAS expects 7,818 individuals to receive treatment services, 3,699 individuals to receive recovery support services, and 229,560 individuals to receive prevention services. TN SOR IV aims to: (1) increase awareness of the dangers of opioids and stimulants and of opioid overdose prevention resources, (2) establish processes, protocols, and mechanisms for referral to treatment/ recovery communities, (3) increase access to naloxone and testing strips to decrease opioid overdose deaths, (4) increase healthcare professional's capacity to assess and provide treatment to individuals with OUD and stimulant use disorder, (5) reduce opioid overdose deaths through an emergency department-initiated buprenorphine/ naloxone pilot program, (6), pilot a low barrier medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) provider (7) pilot access to mat for jail clients, (8) pilot a program to offer comprehensive treatment, including medication management, for substance use disorders, specifically opioid use disorder and stimulant use disorder, for adolescents in the state of tennessee (ages 16-18); and (9) expand access to mat, clinical treatment and recovery services through a hub and spoke model. TDMHSAS has established measurable objectives to ensure progress toward these goals, including providing opioid overdose prevention trainings to stakeholders, distributing approximately 76,520 naloxone overdose prevention kits annually to individuals at high overdose risk and their families/peers, and partner with physicians to participate in a multimodal training program (i.e. echo) to provide OUD and stimulant use disorder related educational opportunities to health professionals. TN SOR IV will implement prevention, treatment, and recovery interventions to ensure a multipronged comprehensive response to opioid and/or stimulant misuse. TDMHSAS will employ evidence-based practices (EBPS), including community-based naloxone distribution and MOUD, which, when combined with other EBPS, improves retention in treatment and reduces the risk of relapse.