Current YOR 4 grantee

YOR IV Project Name: Rapid Access for Youth (RAY)

Project Description: Building on the experience of our YOR III project, The Wellness Center (TWC) in partnership with Substance Use Disorder Integrated Services (SUDIS)’s proposed Rapid Access for Youth (RAY) program, will expand low-barrier, evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) services for youth and young adults (16–25). This initiative integrates harm reduction, MAT, and recovery support across hospital, community, and outreach settings, ensuring rapid access to medications for opioid and stimulant use disorders, overdose prevention resources, and essential wraparound services. The MAT Telehealth Line, co-managed by The Foundation and SUDIS, ensures immediate, 24/7access to MAT, Narcan, and overdose prevention resources, often within 24 hours.

In-house and community partnerships are critical for youth-centered services. Jovenes, Inc. and Alma Family Services provide housing, mental health care, and family support, while LA Conservation Corps offers job training, and life skills development, addressing key social determinants of health. SUDIS extends targeted outreach in high-need areas, using peer support workers with lived experience to engage youth struggling with OUD/StUD or those at risk of misusing illicit substances. Additionally, SUDIS delivers school-based overdose prevention education, ensuring students, families, and educators have access to Narcan, fentanyl awareness, and harm reduction resources.

SUDIS will establish a Youth Council to ensure services remain youth-driven, culturally responsive, and adaptable to emerging needs. Composed of young people with lived experience, the council will shape program development, outreach strategies, and harm reduction education.

By expanding MAT access, scaling harm reduction efforts, and strengthening community partnerships, this project will reduce overdoses, increase engagement in care, and improve health equity for vulnerable youth across Los Angeles County.

Partner Agencies: Alma Family Services, Jovenes, Inc., LA Conservation Camp, East Los Angeles Women’s Center, YMCA

YOR III Project Name: Quick Start for Youth Program

Project Description: The Quick Start for Youth program within the LA General Medical Center Foundation aims to efficiently connect high-risk priority youth with addiction specialists, with new collaborations between LA County agencies and community members. This initiative will extend the medical model for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) care. Our primary population is current or former child welfare and juvenile justice-involved youth, with a particular focus on those in out-of-home care, specifically foster care. 

We encourage medically-driven approaches to effectively address the needs of youth who are using or misusing opioids and/or stimulants. Long-term, this will lay the foundation for sustainable enhanced programming within County systems. We support successful engagement of youth in their medical home, and ensure medical providers are fluent in treating youth with addiction. By linking youth with dedicated specialists, training service providers in evidence-based strategies, standardizing screening processes, and promoting engagement in medical homes, the Quick Start for Youth seeks to significantly impact the lives of high-risk youth, fostering a supportive path to recovery and well-being. 

Primary Contact:

Name: Lela Mazdyasnian
Position: Addiction and Community Medicine Coordinator
Email: LMazdyasnian@dhs.lacounty.gov 
Phone: (213) 784-9191

Website:

YOR IV Project Name: Project Right Now (Pro re Nata)

Project Description: Project Right Now (PRN) will build on the successes of our YOR III experience. Based on the highly successful Care Response Unit out of the Fort Bragg Police Department, PRN will not only connect youth with services but will work to make a lifelong impact on clients through wraparound services. When a youth with a substance use disorder (SUD) is referred to PRN they are first triaged by a liaison who ensures the youth and their family are connected to all available resources. The liaison can meet with youth and their families in the community – in their homes or at school, and not just during business hours. For those youth with SUD who are involved with the juvenile justice system, PRN will work with court personnel, prosecutors, and probation officers directly to assist with transitioning youth out of the juvenile justice system, and into treatment.

Partner Agencies: Fort Bragg High School, Noyo High School, Mendocino High School, Mendocino Coast College, Noyo Adult School, Fort Bragg Unified School District, Mendocino Unified School District, Mendocino Coast Clinics – Suboxone Program/MAT Program, Mendocino Co. Safe Space Project

YOR III Project Name: Project Right Now (Pro re Nata)

Project Description: Project Right Now (PRN) is a new and innovative approach to addressing substance abuse disorders (SUD) among youth. Based on the highly successful Care Response Unit out of the Fort Bragg Police Department, PRN will not only connect youth with services but will work to make a lifelong impact on clients through true wraparound services.

When a youth with SUD is referred to PRN they are first triaged by a liaison who ensures the youth and their family are connected to all available resources. They are then assigned a Success Coach who meets with them in their homes, at school, and when the youth needs it, not just during business hours.

For those youth with SUD who have become ingrained in the criminal justice system, PRN will work directly with courts, prosecutors, and probation to assist with transitioning youth out of the criminal justice system, and into treatment.

Primary Contact:
Name: Thomas O’Neal
Position: Police Captain
Email: toneal@fortbragg.com
Phone: 707-961-2800 ext. 120
Website: www.city.fortbragg.com

YOR IV Project Name: Empowering Resilient Futures – A Trauma Informed Opioid Prevention Initiative for Transition-Age Youth in the Inland Empire

Project Description: Devoloped by the Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance of the Divine Truth Unity Fellowship Church, the Empowering Resilient Futures Initiative is a comprehensive response to the opioid crisis impacting transition-age youth (TAY) in the Inland Empire. By integrating street outreach, street medicine, and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) within a trauma-informed framework, this initiative equips TAY with the knowledge, resources, and support needed to make informed choices and build resilient futures. Aligned with the YOR 4 goals, this approach fosters collaboration and compassion, setting a precedent for innovative strategies to address opioid misuse in vulnerable populations.

Partner Agencies: UCR School of Medicine, Inland Valley Recovery Services, Riverside University Health System, TruEvolution, IEHP, Molina Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Rainbow Youth Collaborative, Inland Empire Harm Reduction Coalition, St. John’s Wellness

YOR III Project Name: Pride Youth Resiliency Project

Project Description: The Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance (RPYA) MAT Expansion Project will provide wraparound services to decrease the use of Opioids and other stimulants among transgender and gender diverse youth (TGNB), non-binary, (cisgender youth -children/adolescents whose gender identity and/or expression differs from their sex assigned at birth), and LGB youth of color, ages 12-24 in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

The mission of Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance is to provide a safe, healthy, and enriching environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) youth of the Inland Empire. We provide a safe space for young people to meet, make friends and participate in various weekly events and activities. We also offer support and resources for gender affirmation and community building. We are dedicated to facilitating activities and programs that enrich the lives of LGBTQ+ folks and promote creativity, health, and wellness for the positive mental health of our queer youth.

Primary Contact:

Name: Rev. Benita Ramsey

Position: President & CEO

Phone: 909-519-0362
Email: benita@unityhope.org

Website: rainbowprideyouthalliance.org

YOR IV Project Name: Pajaro Valley Youth SUD Prevention and Education Project

Project Description: Building on our experience and partnerships developed in YOR II & III, HIPSCC will support the creation and operation of a youth-led SUD advisory board for Pajaro Valley, composed of young individuals who have shown themselves to be active health advocates and trusted peer leaders to guide our efforts to increase access to integrated, youth-focused SUD services in Pajaro Valley. HIPSCC plans to expand access to youth-oriented SUD prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services by building and enhancing the use of trauma-informed SUD services that are patient-centered and that address the specific emotional and behavioral health needs of youth with complex needs. The project will strengthen and expand the reach of our community and school-based SUD prevention efforts by emphasizing cross sector systemic approach and revising the curriculum and education materials to ensure they are culturally responsive and appropriate for the age and literacy level of attendees. By ensuring the wants, needs, and beliefs of young people are taken into consideration and by giving them an active role in the decision-making processes that affect their wellness and care, we anticipate a higher level of engagement of youth in shaping strategies and policies related to SUD services in their communities and increased impact and sustainability of our efforts.

Partner Agencies: Salud Para La Gente, Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance

YOR III Project Name: Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) SUD Learning Collaborative

Project Description: SafeRx Santa Cruz County (SafeRx) is a multi-sector substance safety coalition dedicated to aligning best practices around overdose prevention. SafeRx is housed under the Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County, a non-profit coalition of 26 local public and private healthcare organizations.

SafeRx seeks to address access, capacity and knowledge gaps related to MAT for youth (ages 12-24) within the Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Tri-County region through developing an Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) SUD Learning Collaborative. Key partners include Santa Cruz Community Health clinics and the Central Coast Overdose Prevention Coalition consisting of champion MAT providers, clinical staff, youth, and youth-serving organizations convening to strategize improved MAT access for youth. 

The Goals of AYA:

1. Elevate the lived experiences of youth around SUDs
2. Expand Tri-County youth MAT provider networks
3. Highlight and share best practices around MAT for youth
4. Host expert speakers, facilitate peer learning and review case studies

YOR II Project Name: SafeRx Youth Care Integration

Project Description: SafeRx Santa Cruz County, an opioid and substance use prevention and safety coalition, and Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s Schools Integrated Behavioral Health Initiative (SIBHI) partnered to develop and expand Santa Cruz County capacity to overcome barriers to youth treatment and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) access. Youth treatment needs, driven by information collected from key informants, was integrated into coalition meetings and projects, including material creation, MAT expansion, and naloxone distribution. This project increased awareness among youth, families, and school staff about existing treatment options, as well as working to identify and fill gaps. There were increased interagency connections through networking and enrollment in a new county-wide closed loop social service referral system.   

Partner Agencies: Santa Cruz County Office of Education, SafeRx Santa Cruz County

Primary Contact:
Name: Celyne Demonteverde
Position: Programs Director
Email: cdemonteverde@hipscc.org
Phone: 805-455-5680
Website: www.hipscc.org

YOR IV Project Name: Transcend II: Support Beyond Boundaries

Project Description: Supporting our mission is to reduce the prevalence of substance use and addiction within underserved communities, Another Choice Another Chance (ACAC) will continue to prevent overdose and increase access to treatment through its Transcend Program. Building on our findings and experience under YOR III, ACAC services are expanding to include a pop-up community drop-in center and a community street outreach team. This initiative will focus on engaging young people (ages 16–25) in Sacramento County who are at risk for, or currently using, stimulants or opioids.

The Transcend Program is designed to be inclusive and welcoming to youth from all backgrounds, with a particular emphasis on reaching underserved populations. The program will provide a safe, supportive, and engaging environment where participants can access mindfulness-based prevention, educational enrichment opportunities, and substance use treatment services.

Partner Agencies: PFLAG, Luther Burbank High School, Sacramento Co. Department of Probation, Sacrament Co. Department of Health and Human Services, La Familia Family Counseling Center, MedMark, Better Life Children Services Foster Family and Adoption Agency

YOR III Project Name: Transcend: Transcend your challenges, embrace your well-being.

Project Description: Another Choice Another Chance is a non-profit organization (established in 1987) that provides outpatient substance use and mental health counseling services to youth, adults, and families with the objective of reducing the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse in underserved communities. The Transcend program will expand services for young people with or at-risk of an opiate and/or stimulant use disorder to include our new drop-in center, which will target young people (ages 12-24) in Sacramento County.  Transcend will welcome young people of all backgrounds, with an emphasis on marginalized communities, and provide a safe, welcoming, and engaging environment by which to participate in mindfulness-centered enrichment activities, prevention, intervention, and treatment.

Primary Contact:
Name: Okeema Polite, MA, LMFT
Position: Chief Executive Officer
Email: opolite@acacsac.org
Phone: 916-388-9418
Website: www.acacsac.org