STL County LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) Capstone
l completed my practicum at the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office LEAD Program. LEAD, or Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, is a progressive and collaborative program that seeks to divert low-level, non-violent individuals with drug charges out of the justice system and into harm-reduction based case management. Through my time with LEAD, I assisted with case management, program development activities, and research on the drug landscape of St. Louis. When examining the impacts of the opioid epidemic, there is a large racial disparity in the St. Louis area, particularly North County, represented in higher overdose rates in black men and women. Systems of poverty and racism create structural barriers and limit accessibility of resources and treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). To combat these disparities, I developed and completed five action steps to enhance the accessibility of resources related to SUD and overdose prevention for black communities in St. Louis. These action steps were 1) working with LEAD participants to set goals in case management sessions through a harm reduction based approach; 2) updating training materials for law enforcement officers (LEOs) who provide referrals to the LEAD program; 3) developing and disseminating a report on racial disparities in overdose rates for LEAD community partners; 4) building an online platform of community resources that are specific to substance use disorder in the St. Louis metro area; and 5) assisting with writing and research for the LEAD program’s grant renewal process, with specific focus on racial disparities and landscape of drug use in STL County.
Natalie Hesford
Natalie Hesford is from Springfield, MO and currently pursing her Bachelors of Science in Social Work with minors in Studio Art and Psychology. Natalie is interested in understanding motivations of human behavior, including processes of addiction and the intersection of substance use and mental health. She is passionate about contributing meaningful work to programs that promote social justice through trauma-informed, harm-reduction based services. Natalie hopes to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and will continue her education with SLU as an MSW candidate next year.
Natalie would like to thank her faculty liaison, Prof. Rachel Crowe and her practicum supervisors, Charlin Hughes and Brenna Lohmann. Prof. Crowe guided the development of the action steps and supported Natalie as a student and emerging social worker. Charlin and Brenna work together as the LEAD Program Managers and were immensely supportive, graceful, and encouraging of Natalie throughout her practicum experience.