Empowering Opioid Prevention and Recovery Services for California Youth
The California Youth Opioid Response (YOR California) is a program designed to increase capacity and expand access to substance use prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services for individuals 12–24 years old and their families.
For over 35 years, Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) has been improving health and human services systems of care and business operations to help organizations and individuals reach their full potential.
CHALLENGE
There is a statewide need for age-appropriate, culturally appropriate, and accessible substance use and mental health disorder treatment strategies, screenings and assessments, family engagement, case management, and recovery support services. Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), is helping to address limitations in services and funding as well as regulatory barriers to the comprehensive interventions that youth require, in the environments that serve as effective access points for this population.
SOLUTION
YOR California is a partnership between AHP and the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions, funded by the California Department of Health Care Services. AHP has designed technical assistance and training to support dozens of programs funded through YOR California, spanning the continuum of prevention, intervention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services for youth. The goal is to prevent the use of opioids by youth, transitional age youth, and young adults and reach those at risk of being overlooked by traditional behavioral health services.
RESULTS
Since its inception, YOR California has provided $34 million and extensive support and training to substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery programs and behavioral health organizations throughout the state. Over 9,000 young people have received or been referred to counseling services, over 7,000 to peer support or recovery coaching services, and over 400 have started medications for opioid use disorder. YOR California also launched the highly successful Youth Service Leadership Institute in response to barriers grantees encountered due to staffing shortages in the youth services workforce.
“The YOR grant has allowed us the bandwidth to think about how we are treating addiction and our youth population. It’s allowed us to build a team, hire staff, and think about barriers to care, what’s needed in the community and how to better target services towards the adolescent population.”
—Dr. Aleka Henrisi, Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder Services, San Ysidro Health, San Diego County, CA, Kumiai Territory
About Us
Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) creates powerful solutions to improve health and human services systems. By partnering with the federal government, states, municipalities, healthcare systems, and nonprofits, we help people experiencing the greatest disadvantages lead full and productive lives. We are national leaders in training and technical assistance, research and evaluation, publishing, and dedicated consulting. On issues from workforce development to mental health, substance use disorders to housing and homelessness, we help our clients enhance behavioral health care through systems change. AHP was founded nearly 40 years ago to develop solutions for some of the biggest social infrastructure challenges across the nation. Our company has offices in metro Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Find out more at www.ahpnet.com.
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