Resolve, To Save Lives by Establishing a Homeless Opioid Users Service Engagement Pilot Project within the Department of Health and Human Services

Sec. 1. Homeless opioid users service engagement pilot project. Resolved: That there is established within the Department of Health and Human Services a pilot project to provide 50 opioid users who are among the most vulnerable and unstable in the State rapid access to low-barrier treatment for substance use disorders and stable housing to support their recovery. The department shall implement the program through social service contracts no later than September 1, 2018.

Participants in the pilot project must be homeless, unemployed, polysubstance users and users of hospital services or involved in the criminal justice system.

Project participants must have rapid access to services of the pilot project directly from emergency shelters, the criminal justice system and hospitals.

The pilot project must provide services in both an urban and a rural area of the State.

To the extent permitted by resources that are allocated to the pilot project, the pilot project must include the following:

1. Low-barrier, medication-assisted treatment that uses a shared medical appointment model for delivering office-based, daily observed therapy and group and individual mental health services or other appropriate services;

2. Access to stable housing that offers a range of choices that promote recovery, independence and harm reduction and that allow a project participant to transition easily from one type of housing to another based on what is needed for the project participant's success; and

3. A treatment team that meets project participants where they are physically located to ensure success in early stages of the pilot project as the project participants work toward recovery, employment and self-sufficiency. Support that uses enhanced risk evaluation and mitigation strategies and intensive case management and peer recovery services must be provided to project participants.

The department shall engage in rigorous evaluation of the pilot project in order to inform future interventions and provide a model that can be replicated throughout the State; and be it further

Sec. 2. Report. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters regarding the pilot project under section 1 by March 15, 2019. The joint standing committee may submit legislation regarding the pilot project, including legislation to continue the pilot project, to the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature.

SUMMARY

This resolve establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services a pilot project to provide rapid access to low-barrier treatment for substance use disorders and stable housing to support recovery and create stability for 50 opioid users who are among the most vulnerable and unstable in the State. It directs the department to implement the pilot project no later than September 1, 2018 and to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters by March 15, 2019. The joint standing committee is authorized to submit legislation regarding the pilot project, including legislation to continue the pilot project, to the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature.