Aspire describes new peer-led overdose response team, seeks county partnership and facility safety funds

Dana Glass, executive director of Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Services, told the Dougherty County Board of Commissioners on May 12 that Aspire provides behavioral-health services across the county and will launch a peer-led Community Opioid Response and Engagement (CORE) team funded by opioid abatement grant dollars.

The CORE team will dispatch trained peer specialists to the scene of overdoses — on the street, in emergency rooms or at the request of EMS — to engage individuals and help link them immediately to services, Glass said. “The intention is that when an overdose occurs in the community that our peers will respond to that person where they are,” she said.

Glass said Aspire operates nine sites in Dougherty County, more than 60 permanent supportive housing units locally, and provided “over 128,000 direct care services” to county residents last year. She told commissioners the CORE grant covers two peer positions for two years and that the team lead, Trish Florin, has prior experience with Albany Police Department co-response efforts and holds peer and recovery certifications.

Asked by commissioners about funding sources, Glass said Aspire is a community service board that receives most of its revenue through the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), which she estimated accounts for roughly 78–80% of its budget; she also said Aspire relies on grants for programs such as the CORE team and accepts some insurance and private pay.

During the presentation, Aspire requested the county consider limited safety improvements at its Eleventh Avenue outpatient and crisis stabilization facilities — specifically, under-desk personal alarm buttons for staff in offices and conference rooms. Glass said the alarms would be discreet and intended to allow staff to summon help “with immediacy” if a provider encountered a difficult situation with a client.

Commissioners and staff thanked Aspire for the overview and expressed interest in continuing the conversation about grant partnerships and facility needs. Commissioners asked Aspire to submit details and formal requests to county staff for any funding or partnership consideration.

The presentation also listed existing addiction services Aspire provides in the region, including intensive outpatient programs, detox/temporary observation through the crisis stabilization unit, a long-term residential facility in Calhoun Early County, a peer-led recovery support center (the Change Center), and a medication-assisted treatment program called RISE.

Aspire representatives in the meeting included Glass and several named staff; commissioners directed staff to accept follow-up materials and to consider how county opioid funds and other resources might coordinate with Aspire’s CORE and housing initiatives.