TITLE
Title
APPROVE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE TO APPLY FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE OPIOID, STIMULANT AND SUBSTANCE USE PROGRAM (COSSUP) GRANT
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Sheriff Danny H. Rogers (Capt. Wes Mecham)
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BACKGROUND
Background
Guilford County, along with the rest of society, has seen a noticeable increase in opioid related deaths and health issues. The Sheriff's Office has recognized over the last several years the opioid epidemic plaguing our county and society at large. In an effort to be part of the solution and the improvement of lives, the Sheriff's Office has created services to assist those affected by opioids. Some of these services are the issuing of Naloxone (Narcan) and operation of the Re-entry and Diversion programs. To further assist the Sheriff's Office in these endeavors, grant funding has been applied for and awarded in the past. The Sheriff's Office seeks to apply for the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Use Program grant. This grant is provided through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) program.
With this grant, BJA seeks to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive programs in response to the overdose crisis and the impacts of illicit opioids, stimulants, or other substances. The program provides resources to support state, local, tribal, and territorial efforts to respond to illicit substance use and misuse, reduce overdose deaths, promote public safety, and support access to prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services in the community and justice system. Since 2018, Guilford County has experienced a 102% increase in the number of opioid overdose deaths, with our jails having on average of thirty (30) people every day, who are recovering from opioid addiction. This grant awards up to $1.6 million per awarded agency to begin on 10/01/2024 and last for three (3) years (36 months), and it requires no local matching funds.
The Sheriff's Office is seeking to apply for the entire allotment of funding to be used from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2027 in our Greensboro and High Point Detention Centers. A portion of the funds would be used for diversion or deflection from the criminal justice system through programming in jails and during reentry. All of these strategies also seek to improve access to harm reduction methods, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery support services, including peer recovery. Funding would also provide for purchasing Naloxone for law enforcement, first responders, jail staff, and other justice system practitioners.
This grant also provides for treatment opportunities, such as medication assisted treatments (MAT). These treatment options are intended to facilitate reduction activities and recovery support service engagement with the pre-trial and post-trial populations in and reentering the community from local or regional jails or secure residential treatment facilities, transitional or recovery housing and recovery support services, including access to physical and behavioral health care benefits, counseling services, employment services, and education services, and peer support services for those reentering the community from jails or secure residential treatment facilities.
MAT is considered the gold standard for opioid treatment and is highly encouraged in the MOA for opioid settlement funds. So anything we can do to expand access to MAT should fit well with the Board's plan to address opioid use.
To add to that, counties receiving opioid settlement dollars are encouraged to combine those funds with other funding opportunities (like this grant) to expand the work being done. This grant would be a great opportunity to combine with opioid settlement funds to address several of the recommendations for spending. Namely expanding access to MAT, addressing housing needs for justice-involved people, expanding harm reduction efforts, and increasing recovery supports.
Other goals and purposes of this grant is to embed social workers, peers, and/or persons with lived experience at any intercept of the Sequential Intercept Model to assist persons with justice involvement and their families to navigate the justice system and to increase their connection to treatment and recovery support services. The team of criminal justice professionals engaged in this process includes law enforcement, pretrial and probation agencies, prosecutor-led programs, legal defense agencies, child welfare agencies, courts, and jails to support community reentry.
One of the goals of the Sheriff's Office is to reduce opioid deaths and recidivism in Guilford County.
If awarded any funds, the Sheriff's Office would have a three (3) year period to utilize the received funds, with the ability to use all the funds in one (1) year or over the three (3) year period. The deadline to apply for the grant is July 1, 2024.
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BUDGET IMPACT
Budget Impact
If awarded this grant, the County could receive up to $1.6 million, and there is no required County match for the grant funds.
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Authorize the Guilford County Sheriff's Office to apply for the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Use Program Grant.
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