Frederick County Maryland

Frederick County DFRS Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST) Program - Coast, or the Community Outreach and Support Team, Is an Innovative Collaboration Between Frederick County Division of Fire & Rescue Services and the Frederick County Health Department. the Concept for the Coast Program Collaboration Between the Frederick County DFRS and Frederick County Health Department Was Born Out of a Series of Events That Occurred at a Local Hotel on an Ems Incident Call. a Male Subject Was Encountered by Ems Three Times in 24 Hours for Overdoses. Following This Incident and by the Time the Referral Had Been Made to Peer Recovery Through the Existing Channels, It Had Been Several Days, and the Person Was Not Able to Be Contacted. This Raised the Question Whether Other Resources in Addition to Ems Crews Would Have Had Any Impact on This Scenario. the Coast Program Pilot Was Then Developed, and It Initially Ran From October 2020 Through December of 2020. Then, in April of 2021, Leadership From Both Fire Rescue and the Health Department Convened and the Program Was Formally Adopted. the Program Grew Again in August of 2021 With the Formal Alliance With the Mental Health Association. With the Addition of Coast, Callers Dialing the Local Resource Call Center, Managed by the Mental Health Association, Now Have Broadened Access to Recovery Resources. Coast Continues to Look at Ways to Demonstrate Value to Our Leadership Teams, Elected Officials, and Our Colleagues in the Field and Healthcare Profession. a Community Paramedic From Fire & Rescue Is Paired With a Peer Recovery Specialist From the Health Department, and the Team Responds Alongside Conventional Public Safety Partners to 9-1-1 Calls Where Substance Use or Addiction May Have Been Factors in the Call for Service. This Pairing Brings Respectful, Compassionate, Patient-centered Care to the Field, in a Way Never Seen Before in Frederick County. Leveraging the Paramedic’s Comprehensive Understanding of Community Resources and Social Determinants of Health With the Peer’s Lived Experience and Intimate Knowledge of Local Treatment and Recovery Resources, the Team Establishes a Rapport With the Patient That Is Dignified and Free of Bias and Judgment. the Three Goals of This Project Are: 1) Increase Training and Knowledge Among Ems First Responders and Key Community Partners Within Frederick County DFRS; 2) Reduce Overdose Fatalities Among Patients With Known or Suspected Overdose, and Those at Risk of Overdose; and 3) Increase Access to Appropriate Treatment and Recovery Support Services Among Ems Patients With Opioid Use Disorder and Opioid Related Needs.