Unfortunately, the opioid crisis in the US continues to persist. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, over 130 people die every day from opioid-related drug overdoses. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has implemented a program called the California DHCS Opioid Response (previously known as the California MAT Expansion Project) to increase access to Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services, reduce unmet treatment needs, and reduce opioid overdose-related deaths in California. DHCS’ Opioid Response focuses on 3 goals: saving lives, ensuring access to treatment, and reducing the barriers to care. The program also focuses on populations with limited MAT access, including youth, people in rural areas, and American Indian & Alaska Native tribal communities.

Encompass is proud to have recently received a grant from DHCS to expand MAT services for our Sí Se Puede Residential Center and Santa Cruz Residential Recovery programs. Encompass will use the funds from the grant for continuing education for our clinicians to include specialties in addiction medicine. The grant will also allow us to add two new Peer Specialists for each program. This is exciting news for our agency and the community members we help. To learn more about our Sí Se Puede Residential Center, check out this recent blog article or visit this link to learn more about our upcoming capital project. If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use disorder, call Encompass at 831-226-3728, Option 2. Our MAT team of peer specialists and licensed clinicians are here to help.