Explanation
Ordinance number 1300-2017, approved by City Council on June 5, 2017, authorized the Board of Health to enter into a contract with Equitas Health, in the amount of $50,000.00 for a period through March 31, 2018, to continue a partnership with Columbus Public Health for a harm reduction program, called Safe Point. Ordinance 0680-2018 modified this ordinance to increase and extend the original contract in the amount of $12,500.00 and through June 30, 2018. Part of this effort includes making Naloxone readily available to heroin and opiate users in order to save lives.
This ordinance is needed to do a modification by increasing, extending, and revising the Scope of Services of the contract in the amount of $125,000.00 for a total contract amount not to exceed $187,500.00, for a time period ending December 31, 2018 with Equitas Health. This modification is needed to continue a harm reduction program to provide Naloxone to opiate users.
Harm reduction services provided by Equitas Health allow clients who are at high-risk of accidental overdose death to access the lifesaving drug, Naloxone. During 2017 Safe Point provided services to 3,139 individual clients. 1,315 lives were known to have been saved from Naloxone that was acquired at the Safe Point program. Clients who participate in the Safe Point program are provided access to many types of care that address, both their active substance use disorder as well as other social determinants of health. Throughout 2017, Safe Point provided 1,518 referrals for Alcohol and Drug Treatment, 1,029 linkages to medical care, and 472 referrals for behavioral or mental healthcare services.
Emergency action is requested for this contract modification in order to ensure Columbus has a harm reduction program to continue to save lives.
FISCAL IMPACT: The funds needed to modify this contract with Equitas Health are budgeted within the Health Department Special Revenue Fund and the Health Department Grants Fund;
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