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Coalition Launching Media Campaign about Opioid Use Disorder
Greenville, Ohio - The Coalition for a Healthy Darke County is excited
to join 33 other communities across Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York
and Ohio in launching a series of communications campaigns for the
Healing Communities Study. The campaigns aim to increase demand and
prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and to
increase access to and availability of naloxone (also known as
Narcan®). The campaigns also aim to address stigma by educating
audiences that opioid use disorder (OUD) is a disease, people with OUD
deserve the best medical care possible, and anyone can develop an OUD.
The first phase of the campaign is focused on naloxone, a medicine that
can save someone’s life if they are overdosing on opioids, whether it
is a prescription opioid pain medicine, heroin, or a drug containing
fentanyl. Anyone - EMS, firefighters, loved ones of those with OUD, and
community members - can be a first responder and give naloxone to
someone who is experiencing an opioid overdose.
Future campaigns will focus on educating the public about stigma
surrounding opioid use disorder and on providing resources to access
medications for opioid use disorder.
“Being a part of this study aligns with the goals of the Coalition for
a Healthy Darke County and provides a sustained level of resources to
continue the work we began in 2014”, said Sharon Deschambeau, president
of the Coalition. “We are excited to be part of a study that will bring
resources to benefit the people of Darke County and across the nation.”
Locally, the study will provide funding in the amount of $900,000 to
support the expansion of services and resources for those struggling
with opioid use disorder.
About the HEALing Communities Study
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimates that 2.1
million Americans have OUD, yet fewer than 20% of those receive
specialty care in a given year. A menu of evidence-based practices
exists, including opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution
programs, prescription drug monitoring programs, FDA-approved
medications for opioid use disorder, behavioral therapies, and recovery
support services.
In some areas, these evidence-based practices have failed to penetrate
community settings. As a result, the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) launched the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) to identify the
interventions that are most effective at the local level in preventing
and treating OUD. The goal of the study is to reduce opioid-related
overdose deaths by 40 percent over the course of three years. To reach
this goal, a core component of the HCS intervention is a series of
community-based health communication campaigns.
To learn more about the study and how to get involved, please visit:
• Website: www.HealTogetherOH.org/Darke
• Facebook: @CoalitionDarkeCounty
Contacts:
Coalition for a Healthy Darke County Ohio State University, Healing Communities Study
Sharon Deschambeau, President
Amy Farmer, Community
Engagement Coordinator
(937) 548-2102
(614) 867-7179
sharond@darkecountyohio.com amy.farmer@osumc.edu
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