The Barnstable County Department of Human Services has recently been awarded three new grants to support county-wide efforts to address the opioid epidemic.
In response to Cape Cod’s high incidence of opioid-related deaths, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has awarded $20,000 to Barnstable County Department of Human Services to provide for the bulk purchase of Narcan and distribution to the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod and to first responders across Barnstable County.
A $20,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health will study the feasibility of replicating the Plymouth County Outreach Overdose Follow Up program in Barnstable County. The overdose follow-up model is a collaboration between public safety, health, and human service agencies.
In 2012, Massachusetts passed the 911 Good Samaritan Law to encourage people to call 911 during an overdose emergency. The Bank of America Cornerstone Foundation has awarded Barnstable County Department of Human Services a $10,000 grant to raise awareness of the 911 Good Samaritan Law through video and print materials. This is the 3rd award to Barnstable County from the Foundation supporting public education of the Good Samaritan Law. The funds will be used to produce materials for use by community partners, law enforcement officers, and emergency responders, and to fund public service announcements delivered via social media, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.