Moving Beyond Referrals: Addressing Multilevel Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Engagement Through Police-Led...

The opioid epidemic in the United States (US) has prompted innovative responses from law enforcement agencies including specialized units to refer overdose survivors to substance use treatment following an overdose. However, traditional law enforcement outreach does not address the multilevel barriers to treatment engagement that lead to repeat overdose-related calls for service. The current evaluation explored the process components and outcomes of a Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) initiative within a local law enforcement agency in the Southeast US. COAP funding supported a police-led recovery management team (RMT) to connect overdose survivors to substance use treatment. The RMT also utilized recovery management check-ups (RMCs) to provide sustained support to enhance substance use treatment engagement beyond the initial treatment referral. A mixed-methods approach was employed to examine participant demographic, substance use, mental health, treatment, and criminal justice characteristics (N = 65) and explore perceptions of programmatic strengths and potential areas for improvement (N = 15). The quantitative and qualitative analyses were informed by the Recovery Capital Model. Quantitative analysis revealed that the RMT connected many participants with various support services, notably including housing assistance and health insurance. Qualitative findings highlight program effectiveness in improving social, community, and personal recovery capital. These findings contribute to expanding research on police-led post-overdose initiatives and suggest that police-led RMCs can address multilevel barriers to treatment engagement and minimize law enforcement stigma.