Public Health

Public Health & Health Care

A balanced public health and public safety approach to supporting those suffering from substance use and mental health disorders can expand access to prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.

O2SL and QRT National recognizes that public health partner organizations must be mindful of various issues, including Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), data sharing and privacy concerns. We have thoughtfully considered these issues throughout the development of our multi-faceted program.

Public Health and Public Safety, working hand in hand with one another is a critical component to our program’s success. We will help our law enforcement partners in utilizing their “front row seat” to the substance use and mental health disorder crisis, mentoring them to work in tandem with their public health colleagues.

We have created a playbook that has been recognized by public health experts that puts a focus on reducing overdose deaths and non-fatal overdoses, assists those suffering from substance use & mental health disorders connecting them to the diverse pathways to treatment and long-term recovery.

Our program focuses on the implementation of an outreach visit program conducted by combinations of plainclothes police outreach officers, working alongside certified recovery coaches, with combinations of licensed social workers, clinicians or other recognized outreach experts.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health Overdose Report, June 2019, Dept Public Health Opioid Death Rate Report, and Boston Globe Op-Editorial Overdose Reductions)