Opioid Response Team

When an overdose occurs, the police are called along with the ambulance. The dispatch then calls the Warm Hand Off Therapist at McKinley Hall and they meet the overdose victim at the emergency department.

If given permission by the patient, the overdose victim is admitted to the hospital and remains there for up to three days for withdrawal management services and is then transported to the Safe House. The patient remains at the Safe House (a 24-hour staffed facility) until the appropriate level of care is located and available.

Whether or not overdose victims agree to go to the hospital, the Peer Support Specialist continues to perform home visits on the victim in an effort to get him/her engaged in treatment. Even when the overdose victim refuses treatment, the Peer Support Specialists continues to reach out and offer naloxone and other harm reduction services.