As overdoses rise, Delaware moves to address substance use disorder in marginalized communities across the state.
“Between 2021 and 2022 the number of deaths among Black individuals increased 66% in the state, when in the previous year that rate had grown by 19%,” said Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Director Joanna Champney, who underscores the urgency of taking a new approach to combating the state’s opioid crisis.
Along with Black Delawareans, Delaware’s Latinx and LGBTQ communities, older people, and people experiencing homelessness are also those disproportionately affected by substance use disorder.
To help combat this, the state created the Health Equity Advancement Project in July, distributing 8 mini grants to organizations focused on health equity data analysis, implementing culturally and linguistically competent treatment and engagement, and grassroots partnerships.
A Peaceful Place Integrated Care, which received a DSAMH award last year, serves as a model for how funding can be used strategically. The community healthcare provider’s founder Ericka Daniel says one way they used it was to program their electronic health records to only show a patient’s preferred name.
“A patient's perception begins at the first phone call,” she explained. “And if at that first phone call we misgender you, call you by a name you prefer not to be called by, that really sets the tone for any interaction beyond that.”
A Peaceful Place focuses on providing accessible care such as mental health counseling for all ages, substance use treatment, and gender affirming care. Their focus on comfort in a medical setting aims to reach individuals who avoid care out of fear and mistrust.
Amongst this year’s awardees includes the Love and Hope Rescue Mission, which launched a program dedicated to addressing substance use in state’s Haitian and Creole communities - a growing group of about 15,000 who face barriers in language and access.
Brandywine Counseling and Community Services, ALL Therapy, Fair Chance, La Red, Lotus Recovery Centers, the National Panhellenic Council of New Castle County, and One Step At A Time all also received a $50,000 to aid in their efforts to understand and help the communities they work with.
Healthcare providers are encouraged to partner with the equity grant awardees to help extend their services to more communities across the state.
