Worth Bringing Up Again

In April 2016, the Wicomico County Health Department along with State's Attorney Matthew Maciarello approached Executive Bob Culver and presented a plan for a pilot program entitled Community Outreach Additions Team (COAT). The plan included peer support specialists who were able to help those battling addiction with treatment services and in-kind services by other Health Department staff.

On June 6, 2016, the team began to accept calls for this service. The COAT program has exceeded all expectations. The team not only has helped individuals in recovery, but they have also assisted families and friends of those suffering through this battle. Linking families to support programs and answering questions that only an addict could answer has been a very beneficial resource for the community.

Through an MOU with the hospital we now have an unprecedented relationship to respond to any drug or alcohol related call in the emergency department at PRMC.

Since the program began in June 2016, the Team has received 179 calls for 162 individuals battling some sort of addiction. We are pleased to share that 56% of those individuals have accessed some form of community-based treatment service.

COAT has been selected as a Promising Practice by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). With this recognition, the Department intends to submit the program to NACCHO as a Model Practice later this year. This national recognition honors outstanding evidence-based public health practices.