Homeless Overdose Prevention- Expansion

Overview

Homeless Overdose Prevention - Expansion (HOPE), tests implementation of overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND), a program that targets homeless experienced Veterans at risk for overdose, including Veterans in community-based supportive housing. HOPE sites will receive a playbook that offers step-by-step instructions, tools, templates, and checklists tailorable to site needs; sites will also receive performance feedback about their performance relative to a standard or benchmark.

The proposed HOPE project builds on the Phase 1 implementation trial at 6 Veterans Health Administration health care systems (part of the current Bridge QUERI). This trial evaluated a 6-month implementation approach that was tailored based on the determinants identified for each of the Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) teams as part of pre-implementation formative evaluations at each site. During the Phase 1 HOPE trial, HUD-VASH case managers reached more than 1700 HUD-VASH Veterans at risk for opioid overdose, providing education about their risk and naloxone to those who accepted the prescription. The implementation trial was conducted with 33 HUD-VASH teams at 6 low performing VISN 21 sites selected in partnership with regional HUD-VASH leadership. Approximately 300 HUD-VASH social workers were trained on OEND. Five of the 6 healthcare systems also became high performers (i.e., above the national average for naloxone receipt across all VA healthcare systems). Phase 2 of the HOPE trial will rely on the core evidence-based practice (EBP) of OEND, including identifying community-based naloxone resources, but the investigators will also provide each HUD-VASH team education and training regarding xylazine (including how it may increase opioid-overdose mortality risk) and fentanyl test strips. The latter is particularly important given that the investigators will identify community partnerships for receipt of confidential OEND since many non-VA harm reduction services do offer drug test strips. Also, drug test strips are prohibited in certain states that identify them as illegal drug paraphernalia. States are regularly revisiting these laws, and the investigators will update each implementation site about the current status of laws regarding drug test strips as part of implementation. In Phase 2 of the HOPE trial, the investigators will evaluate the use of an Implementation Playbook developed during HOPE's Phase 1 implementation trial. The Low Intensity (LI) implementation approach will include providing sites with the HOPE Implementation Playbook, including access to the associated resources (e.g., OEND note templates) on the HOPE SharePoint site. The investigators will begin with an initial training session with each site, and investigators will lead a monthly learning collaborative for 6 months. The LI phase will allow investigators to evaluate the effect of a comprehensive playbook on uptake of OEND. The High Intensity (HI) approach, led by investigators, includes: (1) creation of a novel clinical team (i.e., prescriber and HUD-VASH team) if not created under LI; (2) monthly overdose education and training delivered synchronously via MS Teams; (3) monthly audit and feedback for each HUD-VASH team on progress toward providing OEND; and (4) technical assistance.