Board of Aldermen — 12/12/17 Page 6
wonderful idea. I’m wondering how we’re going to supervise this? This is a pilot program; how are we going to
evaluate it in the years’ time? Is there any measurement? How are we managing this?
Mayor Donchess
We are going to measure and manage it. The point is that there is certainly research and anecdotal evidence
suggesting that assistance with recovery on a hands-on basis greatly improves the likelihood and the chances
of recovery. But in addition to helping a certain caseload who will be handled or worked with by this person,
we do want to develop data and information regarding success rates and all the experience that is derived from
working with a caseload of 20, 30, 40 to 50 people at the same time.
So if you look at paragraph 4 of the contract, it suggests that the recipient, meaning Revive Recovery, will
provide the city with monthly and quarterly reports containing identified aggregate information. Such reports
shall at a minimum include data on the number of clients served, contacts with the clients, and the services
provided to those clients. Initial intake data, client outcomes and challenges will also be collected and reported,
but without identifiable client information. Upon receiving each report, the city may require recipient to alter the
report or collect different or additional data that would be more useful to the city.
So what we really want are reports on how are people doing after 30, 60, 90, 180, 360 days, in addition to the
number of people served, the number of people who have dropped off with unknown outcome, people who
have relapsed, people who have come back. So we really want to be able to see, in detail, how this works and
what rate of success and what the experience of the pilot program is. And the point of this is not only so that
we as a city understand what’s going on but if we develop sufficient information suggesting actual statistical
support here for the recovery coach approach, then we can use this to persuade others outside the city — the
State government and others — to add to and supplement this kind of program. We know that trying to deal
with the opioid crisis is a work in process, the Safe Stations program, of course, we meet every two weeks and
we evaluate how things are going; different things come up and many adjustments are being made. This, |
think, is a similar project. We will see how things go and try to work with it as time goes on.
You might have seen, in terms of digressing into Safe Stations for a moment, that Providence started a Safe
Stations program in the last week or so in which they say it is based on the model from Manchester and
Nashua, New Hampshire, which they used. They actually visited here and in Manchester to initiate their
program.
Alderman Schoneman
Are the reports going to come to the Mayor's office or to the Opioid Task Force? Who is going to evaluate the
reports that are coming in?
Mayor Donchess
| think the reports will be aggregate data so they'll come to the Mayor’s office. But if members of the Board of
Aldermen would like to get reports — they'll certainly be going to the Safe Stations guidance group — but if
members of the Board of Aldermen want them that’s obviously no problem. In fact, that’s a good idea. | think
we should distribute reports to the Board of Aldermen on a periodic basis so you can see what’s happening.
And there’s very detailed data regarding the Safe Stations program and the number of people who have
reported. We provided to the Budget Committee at the time this was heard copies of those reports just so you
can see what’s going on. Those are generated every two weeks; anyone who wants those at any time can get
them. They’re generated, in that case, by AMR.
Alderman Dowd
The Budget Committee unanimously approved this. We had three or four who had compelling arguments
discussing what’s going to happen. What happens with the current program is we get the people to appoint
where they’re recovered, and then we just say, okay, you’re on your own. And that’s why there are so many
repeat offenders. This program will give them a crutch so that somebody can guide them so that they can get
