HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Huntington is now a mentor site for law enforcement officers and first responders from across the United States who are looking to launch or expand drug diversion programs like those already in place in Cabell County, including the Quick Response Team.
“There will be people coming from all across the country, actually coming here to go out with the team and see what we’re doing firsthand,” said Connie Priddy, program coordinator for the Huntington QRT.
Those with the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance recently selected the eight locations for the Law Enforcement and First Responder Diversion and Referral Program Mentoring Initiative out of a competitive process.
Along with Huntington, the other mentor sites are in Philadelphia, Pa., Colerain Township, Oh., Plymouth County, Mass., Lucas County, Oh., Seattle, Wash., Lake County, Ill. and Pima County, Az.
The goal is to put lessons learned in Huntington and in the other participating cities and communities to use elsewhere.
Taking some inspiration from Colerain Township, Oh., Huntington started its Quick Response Team in 2017.
Since then, the QRT has operated as a partnership between emergency medical services, law enforcement, behavioral health professionals and faith leaders to respond to a growing number of drug overdoses in the Cabell County city.
Within 48 hours of an overdose event involving EMS, QRT members follow up with various forms of assistance, including treatment options.
Additionally, the effort has expanded to include referrals.
Marshall University has partnered with Huntington to collect data on the QRTs and provide analysis on the work.
“We all know the healthcare system’s really difficult to navigate and so, if you add substance use disorder to that mix, it’s really hard to know where to call or how to get help and we actually go out and knock on doors and offer that help,” Priddy said.
Since 2017, Huntington’s QRT has come into contact with 720 people. Of them, 216 — or about 30 percent – have sought treatment, according to information from Huntington officials.
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control showed the fatal overdose rate in Cabell County fell by 24 percent from 2017 to 2018 while nonfatal overdose cases declined by 52 percent between 2017 and 2019.
The work in Huntington, which is now being opened up to others nationwide, has already spread to parts of West Virginia.
“All through West Virginia, there’s multiple (QRT) sites now and they’ve all used Huntington as their model,” Priddy said.