According to provisional data released in November 2021 from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, drug overdose deaths in the United States rose to over 100,000 during the 12-month period ending in April 2021. With California having the 4th highest number of drug overdose deaths in the nation, LA County also saw a 52% increase in accidental drug overdose deaths during the 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March to December 2020) compared to the same period in 2019. Further, drawing from the California Department of Public Health Vital Records Business Intelligence System Plus (VRBIS) Drug Overdose Mortality Data 2015-2018 and LAC Internal Services Department (ISD) midyear population estimates 2015-2018, DPH-SAPC prioritized interventions in LAC Service Planning Area (SPA) 1 and SPA 4. The main audiences for the RecoverLA include community-based organizations (CBO), health centers, emergency departments (ED), first responders, law enforcement, faith-based organizations (FBO), local cities, individuals with SUDs or those at risk, and the general public.
SPA 1 (the Antelope Valley region) is geographically LAC's largest and most remote region. SPA 1 has had a less developed health service infrastructure, including SUD and mental health. In 2018, SPA 1 had LAC's highest opioid prescription rate, opioid OD death rate per 100,000 (6.4), prescription opioid OD-related hospitalization rate (17.6), and prescription opioid OD-related ED visit rate (18.3). One of the top 5 causes of premature death (death before age 75) in SPA 1 is drug overdose. SPA 1 has a 45% Latino, 35% White, 16% Black, 4% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, and 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) population. SPA 4 (Central Los Angeles) has LAC's second highest opioid OD death rate (6.0) and high heroin OD-related ED visit (12.3) and heroin OD-related hospitalization rates (2.4). SPA 4 is a highly diverse region centrally located in the heart of LAC and includes, among others, communities like Hollywood, Skid Row, Downtown, Koreatown, and Westlake. SPA 4 has a 52% Latino, 25% White, 18% Asian, 5% Black, 0.2% American Indian, and 0.1% NHOPI population. Drug overdose is a leading case of premature death in SPA 4.
In LAC, an estimated 8.8% of the population, or over 697,000 individuals, have a SUD. As RecoverLA continues to be established and as access to RecoverLA's mobile application is publicly available beyond LAC, determining reach within our focused population was difficult to identify. SUDs are complex, chronic health conditions. As such, the treatment of SUDs often requires varied strategies to facilitate recovery. LAC currently provides multiple pathways to access substance treatment including SASH, Connecting to Opportunities for Recovery and Engagement (CORE) Centers, CENS, and SUD providers or self-referrals. It is critical that patients have all available treatment options at their disposal to address these complex conditions. While these options provide SUD resources and increase treatment service availability, navigating a complex and fragmented health care system, in combination with social stigma and inequitable access to care, exacerbate issues related to the provision and receipt of care. RecoverLA provides SUD education, treatment information, and provider availability and locations improving access to SUD care and in a timely manner. Thus, RecoverLA narrows the gaps for populations that experience barriers to SUD care and addresses the common barriers to treatment, whether it is not finding a program that offered the type of treatment they wanted and concerns about the negative perception of seeking and receiving treatment.
RecoverLA's mobile-friendly platform is a new and innovative multi-use tool to support community-based organizations (CBO), health centers, emergency departments (ED), first responders, law enforcement, faith-based organizations (FBO), local cities, individuals with SUDs or those at risk, and their caregivers. Addressing health equity concerns of access to culturally responsive SUD resources, barriers to treatment that disproportionally impact communities of color, and limited access to technology was central to the development of RecoverLA. RecoverLA is a Progressive Web App (PWA), which makes it easily accessible across any mobile device—without the need to download any native applications. PWA uses existing Service & Bed Availability Tool (SBAT) Application Programming Interface (API) for added functionality to the Find a Provider tool across mobile devices (i.e., phones, tablets), making it more accessible for users to request, search and filter using existing public data related to SUD treatment provider contact information, services, and availability. Users can filter by population (i.e., LGBTQ+, older adults, veteran), services (i.e., outpatient, residential), languages, bed availability, and more. RecoverLA's mobile application is also offered in 13 other languages including Farsi, Hmong, and Russian, expanding the accessibility towards SUD resources.
In addition, RecoverLA harnesses the power of technology to provide LAC residents with synchronous communication of service bed availability as well as a robust digital resource library at their fingertips. There is a critical window of time between when someone with a SUD needs help and seeks help. RecoverLA maximizes this critical window and removes a common barrier to recovery – accessing treatment when it is most needed. RecoverLA's Find a Provider tool helps people find SUD services for themselves, clients, or loved ones. It is a mobile version of DPH-SAPC's SBAT that provides a dashboard of available substance use services throughout LAC, including outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment, different levels of residential treatment, withdrawal management, Opioid Treatment Programs, Recovery Bridge Housing, and DUI programs. RecoverLA provides an innovative centralized platform that can connect LA County residents to all local SUD-related prevention and treatment resources including LA County's SASH and CENS.
In addition to its availability as a PWA, RecoverLA was also designed and printed as a pocket guide that includes a resource directory as tear-out pages that can be shared or distributed to reach residents without broadband internet access or mobile devices. The combination of a pocket-sized SUD resource guide and mobile application gives users greater flexibility accessing and leveraging these resources. Instant access to SUD treatment resources establishes linkages to care for communities and populations who generally have difficulty accessing services and overall, empower individuals to make safer choices. The county and national data sources provided illustrate the need to remove barriers associated with SUD treatment service access by informing and motivating the patient. These barriers can be further addressed through continued promotion and engagement of RecoverLA and provide a centralized pathway to access SUD treatment.