H.E. Needs Assessment Statement

 

Delaware increase in drug overdose, mental health and negative impact from COVID Pandemic has influenced our decision on where to locate the outpatient treatment program in Delaware. The decision was made based on the state findings, communication with local officials, community members, current patients, and professional networks. 

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The 2022 Statistics reviewed from the Delaware Drug Overdose Fatality Review Commission (DOFRC) under Delaware Code Title 16, § 4799 showed 447 individuals passed away from overdose in 2020, 515 in 2021, and an estimation of 449 with exclusion of October and December data in 2022.  In December of 2022, the suspected overdoses in Delaware increased  by 18% compared to that of 2021 where 515 overdose deaths, and  406 confirmed overdose deaths by October of 2022, and an addition of 43 in November of 2022. The 2020 data reported that 59.3% were from New Castle County, 14.8% in Kent County and 25.9% in Sussex County. To help in meeting the needs of the assessment, the data further demonstrated that the majority of the individuals lost their lives at a greater percentage on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturdays. Hence the Reason Holistic Elevation Program weekend hours are offered to the community by appointments based on needs, rather than completely closed on weekends. 

 

The goal to service was made through the findings that:

• 92.9% of individuals who passed away from overdose in 2020  had fentanyl in their system at the time of death. 

• 42.0% had mental health diagnoses and of the 42%- 82.2% of those suffered from depression and 48.9% suffered from anxiety, 40% had bipolar and 13.3% had documented PTSD Diagnoses. 

• 30.8% had a history of chronic pain with 68% of individuals with pain suffering from chronic back pain.  

 

We will be offering IOP, OP and prevention with the hope to bridge accessibility gaps and create flexibility within service as we meet clients where they are which includes their homes, community centers, groups homes, etc. The 2020 finding showed that overdose deaths typically happened outside the individual's own residence. Therefore, we are proposing to help resolve the ongoing issue in Delaware by providing an increase in accessibility, level of care and integration of intervention with prevention for sustainable outcomes to help tackle the combination of substance abuse and mental health challenges.   We hope to increase access to care in New Castle County, Delaware.