DHCS ANNOUNCES OPIOID USE DISORDER TREATMENT AWARDS 

 
SACRAMENTO — The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) awarded $800,000 to two Local Emergency Medical Service Agencies to foster low-barrier access to clinically proven opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment for patients in an emergency medical services (EMS) setting who are at risk of overdose and often do not have access to services in other settings.

“This is an innovative and lifesaving approach to address the opioid crisis. By equipping emergency medical service providers to render treatment in the field, we are meeting patients where they are and connecting them with ongoing care. This program has the potential to reduce opioid-related deaths and improve long-term health outcomes for some of California's most vulnerable people," said DHCS Director Michelle Baass.

The grants—awarded through the Emergency Medical Services Buprenorphine Use Pilot Program (EMSBUP) to the Stanislaus County EMS Agency and Ventura County EMS Agency—will enable these two agencies to address substance use disorder as a treatable emergency condition, utilizing paramedics to identify and treat patients who would benefit from medications for addiction treatment (MAT). MAT is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, which is effective in treating OUDs and helping some people sustain recovery.
 
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: The EMSBUP has pioneered a cutting-edge approach for delivering MAT through EMS. The population served by EMS has a high risk of death from overdose. In a study of 12,000 patients who received naloxone from EMS, 10 percent died within the following year. Another study found that one-third of all patients who died from unintentional overdose had contact with EMS in the year preceding their death. With an estimated 26,000 911 calls for overdose in California, EMS is a critical and underutilized intervention point for expanding access to MAT, delivering harm reduction, and connecting patients with care.

GRANT AWARDS: This program will assist EMS providers in coordinating with navigators to provide linkages to care options for EMS patients with an OUD and provide a system for patients who sign out against medical advice to have access to outpatient treatment options. The project will run from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2027. It will also collect de-identified data for research and monthly performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment model.

Additionally, resources will be provided to Local Emergency Medicine Service Agencies to support the initiation and sustainability of this treatment model, which includes a naloxone distribution program, EMS-initiated first dose of buprenorphine, and substance use navigation.

GRANTS MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Through State Opioid Response (SOR) grant funding, EMSBUP builds upon an initial SOR-funded project in Contra Costa County in 2020 in which 260 paramedics were trained to identify and treat OUD from an ambulance, more than 2,000 patients were screened for OUD, 120 received buprenorphine in the field, and 55 were connected to ongoing MAT. The results of this work encouraged other counties to adopt the model. To date, this model has been extended to 11 LEMSAs covering 13 counties to train 1,300 paramedics.

“Buprenorphine administration by EMS provides a high-risk population with access to buprenorphine at a critical and ideal time to receive buprenorphine – post overdose, when patients are in withdrawal and may be more inclined to accept treatment. EMS-administered buprenorphine brings treatment to patients versus patients having to seek out treatment, which has the potential to reduce fatal overdose, reduce crime rates, and save lives. With the right teams in place, patients can start buprenorphine in the field, get connected to emergency services, start feeling better within a few hours. and continue buprenorphine treatment through MAT programs after being discharged from the emergency department," said Phoebe Blaschak Oliveira, RN, PHN, BSN, Public Health Nurse Program Manager, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Choosing Change Clinic.

BIGGER PICTURE: In 2023, Governor Newsom launched his Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis, which provides a comprehensive framework to address the opioid and fentanyl crisis, including aggressive steps to support overdose prevention efforts, hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable, crack down on drug trafficking, and raise awareness about the dangers of opioids, including fentanyl.
 
The EMSBUP is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is part of DHCS' broader efforts to address substance use disorders, collectively known as the California DHCS Opioid Response, to increase access to MAT, reduce unmet treatment need, and reduce opioid overdose-related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery activities. The California DHCS Opioid Response focuses on populations with limited MAT access, including youth, people in rural areas, and American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal communities. For more information, please visit the DHCS website.

DHCS also created the Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP) to combat opioid overdose-related deaths throughout California. The NDP aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths through the provision of free naloxone. For more information about the state's opioid response, visit opioids.ca.gov.