RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has released a request for applications for community projects to combat the opioid crisis by advancing the goals of the NC Opioid Action Plan.

Organizations can seek one-time, state-funded grants of up to $150,000 to support community activities that improve access to treatment and recovery supports. Grant applications must be received by May 4, 2018.

“These grants will help local communities work together to turn the tide of the opioid crisis through treatment and recovery assistance,” said DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “We look forward to collaborating with communities around the state to accomplish the vision set forth in the NC Opioid Action Plan.”

Awards are available to local government agencies, including public health departments, departments of social services, county corrections, EMS agencies, community organizations, hospitals, health centers, clinics, pharmacies and other organizations that have a history of work in population health, substance use disorder prevention, treatment or recovery services, and harm reduction.

The request for applications provides targeted funding for activities to help communities connect people to treatment including:

Certified peer-support specialists or North Carolina certified peer-support training.

Connecting people involved with the justice system to harm reduction, treatment and recovery services, which may include establishing or expanding pre-arrest diversion programs such as Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion or post-arrest diversion programs such as recovery courts.

Establishing post-overdose reversal response teams to prevent repeat overdose and connecting those who have had a non-fatal overdose to harm reduction and treatment and recovery supports.

Applications can also target efforts to expand syringe exchange programs, provide training in naloxone administration, train pharmacists on opioid overdose prevention, conduct training on medication assisted treatment or support capacity building for office-based opioid agonist treatment services.

The NC Opioid Action Plan Implementation Initiative RFA has been posted to the DMHDDSAS Notice of Funding Availability grant opportunities page and has been entered into Open Window under the RFA section using the following identifier: 30-DMH-OAP-2019.

The NC Opioid Action Plan was launched in June 2017, with collaboration from stakeholders across the state. The plan identified key strategies to combat the opioid epidemic, including expanding treatment and recovery oriented systems of care, making naloxone widely available and linking overdose survivors to care.

For more information, visit www.ncdhhs.gov/opioid-epidemic.