Purchase District Health Department

Purchase District Health Department (PDHD) is located in far western Kentucky and will serve all eight counties (Ballard, Carlisle, Calloway, Graves, Hickman, Fulton, Marshall, and McCracken) of the region through the RCORP-Overdose grant. Far western Kentucky has counties with poorer health outcomes, higher rates of poverty, lower educational attainment, is a health professional shortage area, has limited access to care and transportation, and higher rates of STDs/STI and drug arrests than the state of Kentucky. To address these barriers and needs PDHD will create a Harm Reduction Integrated Community Hub that will serve those with an SUD/OUD through wrap around services which include STD/STI testing and counseling, referral for treatment of STD/STIs and prevention of STDs/STIs, assistance in accessing treatment for SUD/OUD through an onsite telehealth hub and when need for in person and/or inpatient SUD/OUD , coordination for Medicaid applications for the uninsured, access to harm reduction supplies including overdose reversal supplies, and access to a Peer Support Specialist (PSS) for both individual and group services. The PSS will provide community outreach and education, and travel to areas where the need is greatest when not at the Harm Reduction Integrated Community Hub. Purchase District Health Department (PDHD) is part of a greater network and the backbone of the Purchase Area Health Connections. Through these established relationships PDHD has partnered with 2 local regional hospital, a sheriff's department, a community mental and behavioral health center, a Ryan White provider, and a recovery community center to implement this project.