After more than a year of work that brought together law enforcement professionals, health and mental health professionals and members of the public, Manchester officials announced a new initiative called H.O.P.E. or Heroin/Opioid Prevention and Education. The program is based on a successful program in Gloucester, Massachusetts where police officers help those addicted to narcotics get treatment rather than arresting them.

The School of Social Work is consulting with H.O.P.E. on evaluating the implementation and impact of the program. These efforts include documenting program implementation activities, interviewing law enforcement officers and local treatment providers about their involvement in the program and securing DMHAS data to monitor changes in client service utilization for opioid treatment in the Manchester area.  In collaboration with the DMHAS research division, Dr. Fendrich is working to secure extramural funding to enhance and support program evaluation efforts.