Background ~ After more than a dozen years of overpromotion, overprescribing, and excessive distribution of prescription opioids, companies responsible for tens of thousands of overdoses have agreed to a national financial settlement. With all 64 counties and nearly 100% of the municipalities signed onto the settlements, Colorado is set to receive more than $700 million when the settlements are finalized. Our state has a joint framework for distributing opioid dollars throughout the state, focusing most of the money on 19 regions.
The Region 12 Opioid Council, representing Douglas County, is seeking agencies to carry out a variety of programming to combat the opioid epidemic in our region. Specifically, the Region 12 Opioid Council received opioid settlement funding to address gaps and opportunities in prevention, treatment, and recovery services for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) as well as other co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental illnesses in the region. After a detailed planning process to illuminate the region's greatest needs pertaining to SUD, Region 12 has decided to dedicate dollars to the following seven programs:
- Withdrawal Management
- MOUD/MAT
- Peer Support
- Expansion of CRT and HEART programs
- Youth Prevention
- Transportation
- Case Management
Context ~ Behavioral health comprises mental health and substance use disorder. It also encompasses behaviors and habits which influence one's overall health and quality of life. Substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder, negatively impact an individual’s behavioral health. In the past twenty years, Colorado has experienced a 400% increase in opioid overdose deaths. Although opioid overdose deaths in Douglas County remained relatively stable from 2020-2022, despite its large population, the County is an absolute desert of behavioral health treatment and recovery. There is a surprising and rapid decline in the density of licensed facilities as one progresses south. As of June 7, 2023 Douglas County had only 13 licensed substance use and mental health treatment facilities at any level on CDHS’ LADDERS. The town of Grand Junction, with about ⅙ the population of Douglas County, has 50% more such facilities.
Target Population ~ Ultimately, mental health and substance abuse issues, including with opioids, affect every resident of Douglas County. The target populations for each program will be further specified in the scope of work below. However, the target population for all of Region 12’s settlement dollars include residents of all age groups, racial and ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic standings, sexual orientations and gender identities, disability statuses, primary languages, and healthcare literacies. The most successful respondents will address how their program(s) will reach people equally across the county. We recognize that all applicants will not address all populations, but the winning bids will address unique barriers faced by people who have been historically underserved in their particular service sphere.
