Hamilton County Coalition

DRUG FREE HAMILTON COUNTY PROJECT

RURAL COMMUNITIES OPIOID RESPONSE PROGRAM-OVERDOSE RESPONSE - SINCE 2018, THE HAMILTON COUNTY COALITION HAS PROVIDED A “ONE STOP SHOP” APPROACH FOR TREATMENT, RECOVERY AND SUPPORTIVE SOCIAL SERVICES THROUGH OUR NU-START PROGRAM. MORE THAN 70% OF THOSE REFERRED TO OUR NU-START PROGRAM HAVE SUFFERED FROM A RECENT OVERDOSE AND HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH OPIOID USE AND OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS. THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE IN URGENT NEED OF ASSISTANCE: PARTICIPANTS REPORTED EXTREMELY HIGH LEVELS OF DRUG DEPENDENCE (HEROIN WAS THE DRUG OF CHOICE FOR 50% OF INDIVIDUALS), 64% WERE MODERATELY TO SEVERELY DEPRESSED, AND 40% REPORTED SEVERE LEVELS OF ANXIETY. MANY OF OUR CLIENTS WERE FACING DUAL CHALLENGES: TRYING TO TREAT THEIR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER WHILE FACING CRIMINAL CHARGES OR DOING BRIEF STINTS IN JAIL. PARTICIPANTS ARE INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR TREATMENT AND RECOVERY PLANS, WHICH INCLUDES INPATIENT, OUTPATIENT, AND MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER AND OTHER SUBSTANCES. OTHER SERVICES INCLUDE COUNSELING SERVICES, EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING ASSISTANCE, TRANSPORTATION, FAMILY SUPPORT, AND ASSISTANCE WITH TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION BY PARTNERING WITH RE-ENTRY STAFF LOCATED IN THE JAILS, PROBATION STAFF, AND THE COURTS. ONE YEAR AFTER ENROLLING IN OUR PROGRAM, 80% REPORTED NO DRUG USE, 64% WERE EMPLOYED FULL TIME, AND 84% HAD STABLE HOUSING. WHILE OUR RESULTS ARE COMPELLING AND SPEAK TO THE HARD WORK BY THE NU-START TEAM, WE WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR 30% OF REFERRALS BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS WHO RESIDED IN ONE OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES (MARION, GRUNDY, RHEA, SEQUATCHIE, BLEDSOE, MEIGS, MCMINN, BRADLEY AND POLK COUNTY) DID NOT QUALIFY FOR SERVICES THROUGH OUR CURRENT FUNDING. THIS REGULATION LED US TO TURN AWAY 296 PEOPLE WHO NEEDED ASSISTANCE. THESE INDIVIDUALS CONTINUED THEIR ILLICIT SUBSTANCE USE, MANY OF THEM EXPERIENCING SUBSEQUENT OVERDOSE INCIDENTS. THIS PROJECT WILL ALLOW THE NU-START PROGRAM TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO THOSE LIVING IN HAMILTON COUNTY, AS WELL AS EXPAND COORDINATED AND COMPREHENSIVE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) TREATMENT AND RECOVERY SERVICES TO INCLUDE INDIVIDUALS WHO RESIDE IN RHEA COUNTY. RHEA COUNTY HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS A HRSA RURAL COUNTY. THE EXPANSION PROJECT WILL BE KNOWN AS THE NU-START RURAL COMMUNITY OPIOID RESPONSE (NS-RCOR) PROGRAM. THE NS-RCOR NETWORK WILL INCLUDE THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA, RHEA COUNTY VOLUNTEER BEHAVIOR HEALTH, RHEA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, CHATTANOOGA STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE (RHEA COUNTY SITE), CEMPA SYRINGE SERVICES (RHEA COUNTY MOBILE SITE), GOALS ARE TO PROVIDE TREATMENT AND RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES FOR OPIOID AND OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, INCREASE ACCESS TO TREATMENT & PROVIDE SUPPORTIVE SOCIAL SERVICES FOR A MINIMUM OF ONE YEARS. RHEA COUNTY IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF COORDINATED TREATMENT AND RECOVERY SERVICES. THE RATE OF FATAL OVERDOSES IN RHEA COUNTY (75) EXCEEDS THAT OF THE METROPOLITAN CITY OF HAMILTON COUNTY (51). (2022 STATE OF TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DATA DASHBOARD). WHILE THERE IS MORE WORK TO BE DONE, OUR RESULTS HAVE BEEN VERY ENCOURAGING. IF WE CAN EXPAND OUR TARGET POPULATION TO INCLUDE INDIVIDUALS WHO USE DRUGS AND OVERDOSE IN RHEA COUNTY, THEN WE WILL HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON REDUCING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND OVERDOSE EVENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE REGION.

DRUG FREE HAMILTON COUNTY PROJECT