OHR is issuing this solicitation to develop, improve, and expand Maryland-specific harm reduction training and technical assistance available, with the goal of expanding the knowledge and capacity of people who work in the Maryland harm reduction community and stakeholders who work with people who use drugs. Capacity-building is defined as building individual, organizational, and community capacity through expanding knowledge, skills, and resources. Marylanders who use drugs have a disproportionately high risk of premature death and adverse health outcomes driven by overdose, infectious disease, and social determinants of health such as access to housing, income inequality, health care coverage, and incarceration. Marylanders who use drugs experience even more drastic health disparities, with HIV, Hepatitis, and overdose disproportionately affecting the health of specific populations. While the need for health care access is evident, negative attitudes towards people with substance use disorders, structural barriers to participation, and a lack of understanding among providers contribute to reduced engagement with health care services. These barriers perpetuate the poor health outcomes of PWUD; as a result, those who most need health and social services are often the least likely to access them.
