Hub and Spoke Centers of Excellence in Harm Reduction Call for Applications – Subject Matter Expert Pool

Release date: December 12, 2024

Closing date: January 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM PT

Period of performance: Year 1 of this program will run from February 1, 2025 – July 31, 2025. 

Q&A

NASTAD’s Drug User Health team is seeking subject matter experts in drug user health and harm reduction to support national and local/regional training, and capacity building activities as a component of the Hub-and-Spoke Centers of Excellence in Harm Reduction project. 

Background

In collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Overdose Prevention (DoP), within the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), NASTAD will develop a hub-and-spoke model for harm reduction training and capacity building. NASTAD will serve as the “hub”, or National Center of Excellence (CoE), coordinating the development and delivery of support, training, resource creation, and workforce development opportunities for public health and harm reduction staff and stakeholders. NASTAD will work with “spokes”, or Regional Centers of Excellence (CoEs), and a network of subject matter experts to increase capacity and connection at the local and regional levels while working to strengthen relationships among harm reduction programs and with local health departments.

The core components of this project are:

• Establishing a National Center of Excellence in Harm Reduction to support the Regional Centers of Excellence and develop and disseminate national-level trainings, webinars, templates, tools, and resources.
• Through this pool of subject matter experts (SMEs), increasing access to tailored support, training, and consultation that is responsive to emerging needs and supports SSP organizational development, sustainability, and workforce development.
• Increasing investment in regional networks of mutual aid, collaboration, and cross-program learning through supporting syringe services programs (SSPs) to become Regional Centers of Excellence, which will: 
  • develop and implement a plan to inform training, capacity building and workforce development activities
  • build or expand peer to peer relationships and partnerships across the region
  • and advise the National CoE (NASTAD) and national partners on local/regional trends, emerging needs, challenges, and promising practices.

Support and Capacity Building Opportunities

Selected SMEs will join a pool of consultants that will work with NASTAD Drug User Health and project partners on the following activities:

• Providing direct support and consultation, delivering training (virtual and/or in-person), and developing resources in support of SSP and harm reduction workforce development and programming.
• Providing locally informed support, building or expanding local partnerships, and addressing regional trends in drug user health and the drug supply.
• Priority support topics include:
  • SSP organizational development and sustainability (for example, leadership development, succession planning, shared leadership models and non-hierarchical organizational structures, nonprofit management, financial administration and infrastructure, budgeting, grant writing and grants management, acquiring and managing funding from diverse sources).
  • SSP staff and program resiliency (for example, staff retention, navigating grief and burnout, emotional support and well-being for staff and volunteers, de-escalation and conflict resolution, restorative justice approaches and processes).
  • Harm reduction workforce development (for example, planning and delivering training and developing resources for SSP staff and volunteers; facilitating opportunities for peer networking and support; leadership, mentorship, and professional development for harm reduction practitioners, particularly people with lived/living experience of drug use and people of color).
  • Harm reduction programmatic best practices (for example, SSP start-up and program design; implementation or expansion of services, participant engagement, development of policies and procedures, data collection and evaluation, etc.).
  • Partnerships with community stakeholders, service providers, and health departments (for example, contracting relationships, models of integrated service provision, referral processes, etc.).
• Support and capacity building activities may cover other topics related to drug user health and harm reduction as identified or requested by harm reduction programs and other stakeholders.
• Selected SMEs may be required to participate in an orientation and attend occasional meetings with NASTAD and project partners. 

Selection Criteria

• At least five years of relevant work experience in community-based or governmental public health programs related to drug user health, harm reduction, syringe access, or overdose prevention.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in one or more of the support topics listed: SSP organizational development and sustainability planning, supporting SSP staff, harm reduction programmatic best practices, workforce development, and building relationships between community-based harm reduction programs and public health and health systems.
• Knowledge of community-informed and evidence-based strategies for overdose prevention and response; prevention, testing, and care for HIV, viral hepatitis, and corollary conditions; and approaches to comprehensive care for people who use drugs.
• Experience delivering training, support, and capacity building assistance to community-based harm reduction programs. 
• Training and facilitation skills, ability to develop and adapt curricula for a variety of audiences. 
• Deep understanding of and familiarity with the needs of community-based harm reduction programs, particularly syringe access programs.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication (written and verbal, with a variety of audiences) skills. 
• Experience with governmental public health infrastructure, including state and local health departments, is preferred. 

We consider inclusion and equity to be a top priority for the program. We strive to shift power and resources to those most vulnerable to structural violence and ensure that our workforce and professional development programs are representative of groups that have been disproportionately impacted by drug use and overdose. Therefore, we strongly encourage Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC)* as well as people that identify as LGBTQIA+** and people with living and lived experience to apply. 

*The term BIPOC was developed to prioritize Black and Indigenous people when responding to the harms that all people targeted by structural racism face. It is imperfect in both its description and its politics. 

**Here the acronym LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual people, and any other identity a person might have that is non-heterosexual and non-cisgender. It is an attempt to refer to the diverse and fluid spectrum of people while also recognizing that even within this umbrella acronym, LGBTQIA+ people face compounding forms of oppression when applying an intersectional lens.

Program Commitment

Qualified candidates will be placed into a training and support provider pool. NASTAD will identify training and support opportunities and engage SMEs on an as-needed basis to facilitate connection and collaboration between Harm Reduction SMEs and programs, including with Regional CoEs and their communities. At that time, the NASTAD Drug User Health team will work with SMEs to define the scope of work, deliverables, contract type, period of performance and any other necessary instructions. 

This position is not full-time. This is a contractual position to be used on an as-needed basis to complete specific deliverables. Acceptance into the training and support provider pool is not a guarantee of hours of work.

The initial period of performance is February 1 – July 31, 2025.

Proposal Application and Submission 

Qualified candidates should apply by e-mail only to druguserhealthTA@nastad.org. Subject line should read “Subject Matter Expert Pool.” NO PHONE CALLS can be accepted in reference to this opportunity. Should you have questions, please note them in your cover email. 

Complete submissions must include:

• Proposal or cover letter (no more than 2 pages) that describes the candidate’s expertise in harm reduction and drug user health, as well as experience providing training and support in any of the areas outlined above.
  • Proposals should address whether the candidate’s expertise applies to a particular service population or geographic area (for example, rural communities, Colorado-based programs, Native communities, etc.).
• Resume that includes pricing details (hourly rate requirement) and 2 references

Submissions that do not follow the above instructions will not be considered. Submissions are due by 11:59pm PT on January 5, 2025. 

Selection Criteria and Process 

Candidates will be evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate the expertise and experience to carry out anticipated training and support activities described above. NASTAD expects to invite a small number of applicants to participate in brief interviews to clarify expectations and further discuss the candidates’ experience and subject matter expertise. Successful applicants will be notified by February 1, 2025.