Notice of Intent to Award Funds to UMass Chan, Center of Excellence and Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services
The Office of Grants and Research intends to award $6,580,000 in FFY023 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-based Program (COSSUP) funds to UMass Chan and the Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services to implement the Diversion to Care project.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts proposes to develop and implement the Diversion to Care (DivCare) project; a responsive and adaptive approach to reduce exposure to the criminal justice system for people who use drugs by strengthening regional implementation of deflection activities and alternative-to-incarceration programs. The overarching goals of DivCare are to harm reduction, addiction treatment, and recovery services in their communities in order to reduce risks from substance use, improve health and well-being, and prevent fatal overdose in the selected subrecipient regions in Massachusetts.
Project activities will include:
(1) improvements to real-time data collection;
(2) development of community-specific, culturally responsive advisory systems;
(3) deflection of individuals who use substances from arrest and incarceration through improvements to the crisis care continuum;
(4) integration of peers and people with lived experience in deflection activities;
(5) expanded utilization of evidence-based harm reduction and addiction treatment resources as alternatives-to-incarceration at pre-booking and post-booking intercepts.
The DivCare project will be implemented in selected subrecipient regions within Massachusetts based on factors including readiness, capacity, need, and geography.
The anticipated project period for this award is March 2024 through September 30, 2026.
For any questions, please reach out to Victoria Gouveia at Victoria.J.Gouveia@mass.gov.
Notice of Intent to Award Funds to the Criminal History Systems Board
The Office of Grants and Research (OGR) intends to award up to $100,100 in federal Fiscal Year 2020 Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Grant funds to the Criminal History Systems Board.
This grant provides funding for the Criminal History Systems Board to purchase access to the Violent Person File (VPF) system with a goal of reducing the number of officers killed or assaulted in the line of duty by providing potentially lifesaving alerts initiated through the National Crime Information Center Violent Person File database.
In 2012, in response to a rise in law enforcement officers injured or killed in the line of duty, the FBI created the NCIC Violent Person File (VPF) to provide a location to house information on violent individuals. The VPF was designed to alert law enforcement officers that an individual they are encountering may have the propensity for violence against law enforcement. Entry into the VPF is based on a conviction for a violent offense against any person and/or a reasonable belief, based on law enforcement investigation, that the individual has seriously expressed an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence against a member of the law enforcement or criminal justice community. This funding will allow all local law enforcement agencies to have access to the database.
The anticipated project period for this award is January 1, 2024 through June 30, 2024.
For any questions, please reach out to Victoria Gouveia at Victoria.J.Gouveia@mass.gov.
Notice of Intent to Award Funds to UMass Chan
The Office of Grants and Research intends to award $765,000 in Federal Fiscal Year 2023 Second Chance Act Smart Supervision Program funds to UMass Chan to implement their Community Pathways Program.
The Community Pathways Program develops channels for the enhanced delivery of care to individuals with a substance use disorder (SUD) and other behavioral health disorders that are reentering the community under Massachusetts Parole Board (Parole) supervision. The Program works to increase communication, relationship building, and connectedness between Parole staff, supervised individuals, and community providers. By developing and nurturing relationships that adhere to the needs of individuals on parole, the Program maximizes resources available to Parole Officers while improving positive health outcomes, community tenure, and success. The Program includes:
- Ongoing customized training curriculum around SUD, behavioral health disorders, and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for Parole staff to ensure proper specialized training and education regularly.
- Continuous development and ongoing engagement with community providers to enhance the delivery of, and access to, care for supervised individuals with SUD and mental health needs while breaking down barriers impacting needed care.
- Regular/routine access to consultative clinical and pharmacological resources from UMass Chan Medical School for Parole staff.
- Responsive approaches that effectively balance individual treatment needs with accountability.
The anticipated project period for this award is January 2024 through September 30, 2026.
For any questions, please reach out to Victoria Gouveia at Victoria.J.Gouveia@mass.gov.