$1.5M grant allows SCCAD’s expansion of substance abuse program

By Bill Carey 
EMS1 

ST. PETERS, Mo. — The St. Charles County Ambulance District (SCCAD) announced that they are the recipient of a $1.5 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, allowing the expansion of their substance use disorder and behavioral health program. 

SCCAD paired substance abuse prevention and harm reduction strategies to create the Substance Use Recovery Response Team (SURRT). The team gained significant attention and was named the 2017 Community Impact Program of the Year by the American Ambulance Association. It has since become a model utilized by numerous EMS agencies throughout the United States and Canada. 

“The primary goal of this initiative is to save lives and improve referrals to appropriate treatment and recovery supports for high-risk individuals,” SCCAD Assistant Chief David Lewis stated in a press release. 

The funding will be awarded over a four-year period, allowing SCCAD to create a dedicated, 24/7 position available to administer buprenorphine, an FDA-approved medication used to stabilize patients and treat opioid addiction. 

The position will also allow SCCAD to partner with area hospitals to offer substance use disorder and mobile integrated health services to individuals who self-present at the emergency department. 

 

Related: 

• Paramedics lead community efforts to stop heroin, opioid abuse 
• Reinventing EMS response to substance abuse, mental health emergencies 
• How paramedics can open the door to long-term recovery with buprenorphine
• Experts want buprenorphine to be administered for drug overdoses on-scene