New Delaware centers could help 900 struggling with addiction in first year

Nine hundred Delawareans may be helped into treatment for their opioid addiction in the next year with the help of a $2 million boost in funding from the federal government.

The state Department of Health and Social Services is looking to implement a "Centers of Excellence" model – three community hubs located throughout the state that will use peer recovery coaches to offer treatment and services to those struggling with addiction who seek help.

These services will include connecting people to treatment, assisting them with navigating the health care system and addressing any co-occurring mental health issues.

The centers will also offer help in finding work, housing and other barriers facing those with addiction, and could be open as early as the third quarter of this year.

“We must reduce the harm caused by this horrific epidemic,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, secretary of the state health department. “Through the Centers of Excellence model approach, our goal is to offer care to individuals suffering from opioid addiction that is high-quality, comprehensive, coordinated, evidence-based and person-centered. The treatment hubs will not only care for the individual’s treatment needs, but also address the social determinants of health that impact a patient’s overall health and treatment outcomes.”

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The new funds come from the 21st Century Cures Act, which aided states through the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The health department will also use Medicaid reimbursements, which state officials said they hope will turn into a long-term sustainability plan for the hubs, and state funds already allocated to the department to pay for the new centers.

Proposals to run these centers, which are due to the state by March 9, will require each of the three treatment providers to reach 300 new individuals with opioid use disorder in the first 12 months, according to the state health department. New patients are considered people addicted to opioids who have not had services in the past 60 days.

It is an important step for a state that lost 308 people in 2016 to suspected drug overdoses. Numbers for 2017 have not yet been totaled, but state health officials said those counts are expected next month. 

Already this year, 24 people have died from suspected overdoses.

These centers' model for addressing addiction will include a director, a community engagement and management team director, and peer recovery coaches – people who have endured the throes of addiction and have come out on the other side.

Using peer recovery coaches as mentors and allies to those entering treatment has become a nationwide model, and has been used at Christiana Care Health System's Project Engage program since 2008. The state has also been training peer recovery coaches for over a year in hopes of building up that workforce, as well as offer an employment opportunity for those recovering from addiction, said state Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Director Elizabeth Romero.

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“We heard loud and clear from individuals, families, and providers that we need to treat each person with an opioid use disorder as a whole person,” Romero said. “A critical component of that is using certified recovery peers to help individuals navigate their way through both the treatment and the social services worlds. Relying on the advice of someone with a similar lived experience will help individuals suffering from addiction to better coordinate their services and maintain their engagement with treatment.”

These peers will also engage family members in conversations and needs of the patient when necessary, and connect pregnant women to existing programs that provide home visits and prenatal care, the state said.

The following services will be required at every center, according to the state: 

• Comprehensive substance use evaluations
• Individual treatment plans tailored to a patient's needs and accompanying case management
• Medication-assisted treatment induction and maintenance, including the use of all three Food and Drug Administration-approved medications: buprenorphine and vivitrol by the start of the program, and methadone within six months
• Group and individual counseling
• Links to recovery and transitional housing
• Trauma-informed psychiatric evaluations and treatment
• Co-management of behavioral and medical disorders
• Motivational strategies to increase engagement with treatment 
• Prescription Monitoring Program checks and fluid drug screens, as required by the state division

The centers, which will be expected to work together to share and collaborate on best evidence-based practices, will also be required to track and report aggregate data on intake assessments, clinical progress, and supplementary services.  

"This model is the beginning of really evaluating the quality of our system of care," Romero said. "This is not a program, but a long-term vision."

How to get help

Call the state's 24/7 Crisis Hotline for treatment and recovery options. In New Castle County: 1-800-652-2929. In Kent and Sussex counties: 1-800-345-6785.

For more information, visit HelpIsHereDE.com.

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.