This week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) awarded
a total of $800,000 to the Stanislaus County Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) Agency and the Ventura County EMS Agency for
opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment for patients in an emergency
medical services setting who are at risk of overdose. The grants
were awarded through the Emergency Medical Services Buprenorphine
Use Pilot Program (EMSBUP). Funding from these awards will be
used to 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.
The EMSBUP is funded by the federal 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
Medication-Assisted Treatment (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.
