Building Community Coalitions to Address the Opioid Crisis

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2016, more than 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, with the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in 2016 being (19.8 per 100,000) which was 21% higher than the rate in 2015 (16.3).

According to a 2016 policy brief released by the Council on medication-assisted treatment, persons experiencing homelessness have even higher rates of substance abuse disorders, poorer health, and higher mortality rates by opioid overdose than national averages.  Communities are beginning to come together and use “Collective Impact” to address the opioid epidemic. Collective Impact is a framework to tackle deeply entrenched and complex social problems. It is an innovative and structured approach to making collaboration work across government, business, philanthropy, non-profit organizations and citizens to achieve significant and lasting social change.

This full-day session will start with an overview of the opioid epidemic in the United States and the neurobiology of addiction. We will then explore how collective impact may be used to address social issues such as the opioid crisis. Representatives from the state of Ohio, Hennepin County in Minnesota and the state of Rhode Island will share how their communities are coming together to assess needs, develop partnerships, and build coalitions to prevent and treat opioid use.