New Mexico Health Care Authority

State of New Mexicogrants to Prevent Prescription Drug/opioid Overdose-related Deaths (PDO) - Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP) Will Implement the Prevent Prescription Drug/opioid Overdose-related Deaths (PDO) in Four High-need Counties in New Mexico. the Project Aims to Prevent Overdose Death Through: 1) the Purchase and Distribution of Naloxone for Overdose Reversal, and, 2) Training First Responders, Family and Friends to Administer Naloxone. the Proposed Project Will Provide Naloxone Through Numerous Partners and Increase Overdose Prevention Knowledge, Within Traditional First Responder and Health Initiatives, and Particularly Among Lay People Who Live With or Are Closely Associated With People Who Use Licit and Illicit Opioids. Community Lay People Are the "real" First Responders in a Rural State Like New Mexico, Where Long Response Times by Law Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services Render Overdosed Individuals More Vulnerable to Death. the Goal Is to Substantially Increase Overdose Reversals by Training and Providing Naloxone to at Least 6.000 Persons Over Five Years. the Project Will Strengthen Existing Partnerships With New Mexico's Department of Health, Public Health Division, Harm Reduction Program, and Its Epidemiology and Response Division, and Local Partners in Communities O High Need and Burden - in Bernalillo County, Dona Ana County, Rio Arriba County, and Santa Fe County. These Four Counties Have 58% of the State's Unintentional Overdose Deaths and 60% of All Opioid-related Emergency Visits. Local Pdo Projects Are Located in Each of These Four Counties. New Mexico's Project Will Enhance and Implement Naloxone Distribution and Training Plans to Meet Gaps in the State's Current System and Grassroots Needs in Agency and Non-agency Settings. New Mexico Will Use the $850,000 Annually for Five Years to Impact New Mexico's Overdose Problem -the 12TH Highest Overdose Death Rate in the Nation. While New Mexico Has Made Progress in Preventing Overdoses Through a Range of Efforts in Recent Years, the National Center for Health Statistics' Rapid Release Provisional Data Shows a 21% Increase in Fatal Overdoses in the State From June 2019 to June 2020. Osap Will Convene the Pdo Advisory Council to Create a Strategic Plan and Oversee the Project. With Membership From New Mexico's Major Health Agencies, the Council Will See to Enhance and Expand Overdose Prevention and Related Services to More At-risk Individuals and Additional Parts of the State Through Better Coordination of Federal and State Substance Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Harm Reduction Efforts.