First responders can improve outcomes for individuals who use drugs by consistently connecting them to evidence-based services, such as medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and naloxone, and social support services known to enhance treatment and recovery.
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In response to the opioid crisis, many police and first responders implemented deflection programs, a unique collaboration between public health and public safety. These initiatives “deflect” individuals with substance use disorders away from the justice system and ERs by connecting them to behavioral health care or other needed community-based services.
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The PHAST Framework and Toolkit can help support jurisdictional efforts to improve and sustain multi-sector partnerships addressing the overdose crisis.
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Overdose Fatality Review Teams do important work to improve overdose prevention in the community, but continued technical assistance may best support consistently rigorous implementation of best practices.
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The Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition has built a sustainable model to improve health and health equity for marginalized individuals and as a result, offers a guide for implementation and best practices.
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Consideration should be given to embedding post–overdose outreach within existing public health infrastructure as a medical and behavioral health support service.
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Our research report published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice discusses the methodology, key findings, and policy implications of a national survey on first responder deflection (FRD) programs. Read: Designed to Do Good: Key Findings on the Development and Operation of First Responder Deflection Programs
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Innovative public health and public safety collaborations in Maine link people who use drugs (PWUD), their friends and families to essential resources on the journey from active use to recovery.
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