Navigating the Opioid Crisis

Starting in the late 1990s, there was a rapid growth in the use of prescription opioids. Once touted as the non-addictive treatment for pain, these drugs were later found to be highly addictive and often led to widespread misuse, facts minimized by pharmaceutical companies for years. Opioid deaths tripled from 2000 to 2015. 


Attention to this epidemic has focused primarily on White suburban and rural communities. Less attention has focused on Black and brown communities which are similarly experiencing dramatic increases in opioid misuse and overdose deaths. The rate of increase among Black and brown  populations from drug overdose deaths between 2015-2016 was 40 percent compared to the overall population increase at 21 percent. 


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total "economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement. 


In 2017 HHS declared a public health emergency and announced a 5-Point Strategy To Combat the Opioid Crisis. That strategy called for:

  • better addiction prediction, treatment, and recovery services
  • better data
  • better pain management
  • better targeting of overdose reversing drugs
  • better research
Community Commons offers the following collection of curated resources to help aid some of those efforts as well as highlighting the effects of this crisis on families and communities.


Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery

cover of pain in the nation report
Our Need for a National Resilience Strategy
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 11/21/2017
Medication-Assisted Treatment Advocacy Toolkit
Medication-Assisted Treatment Advocacy Toolkit
Tool
Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit
Resource
HQI Vanguard Award Finalist video
HQI Vanguard Award Finalist 2016: Comm. Hospital of Monterey Peninsula - Prescribe Safe Initiative
Story - Video
Brought to you by HQI
Screen grab of Montage Health's pain management video
Pain Management at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
Story - Video
Brought to you by Montage Health
Stem the Tide: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
Resource - Guide/handbook
Cover page of Opioid Epidemic Practical Toolkit
Opioid Epidemic Practical Toolkit: Helping Faith-based and Community Leaders Bring Hope and Healing to Our Communities
Tool
Screen shot of the headline of the story
A Collision of Epidemics: Coronavirus Disrupts Addiction Treatment
Story - Written
Brought to you by CalMatters
Screen grab of The Journey from Pain in the Nation to Healing the Nation
The Journey from Pain in the Nation to Healing the Nation
Resource
Brought to you by National Civic League
Homepage Opioid Disorder Playbook
Opioid Use Disorder Prevention Playbook
Resource
A person filling a pill container
Prescribe Safe: Combating Opioid Abuse
Story - Written
Brought to you by 100MHL
Screen shot of Addressing the Opioid Crisis in the United States
Addressing Opioid Crisis in the United States
Resource - Report
Brought to you by IHI


Data Resources

homepage Tennessee Drug Overdose Dashboard
Tennessee Drug Overdose Dashboard
Tool
Brought to you by Tennessee Department of Health
OPINION: America needs a new data culture to address systemic racism
Story - Written
Homepage Virginia Dept of Health Data Portal
Virginia Department of Health Data Portal
Tool
Brought to you by Virginia Department of health
Combat the Opioid Epidemic with Evidence-based Analytics
Combat the Opioid Epidemic with Evidence-based Analytics
Resource
Staff Pick!
Cover of Alcohol and Drug Misuse and Suicide an the Millennial Generation - a Devastating Impact
Alcohol and Drug Misuse and Suicide an the Millennial Generation - a Devastating Impact
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by Well Being Trust
Screen shot of the homepage
“All Scientific Hands on Deck” to End the Opioid Crisis
Resource - Blog
First page of Opioid Trends Across Washington State
Opioid Trends Across Washington State
Resource
Brought to you by University of Washington


Pain Management Alternatives and Access to Overdose-Reversing Drugs

Screen grab of Montage Health's pain management video
Pain Management at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
Story - Video
Brought to you by Montage Health
Indiana Naloxone Administration Heat Map
Indiana Naloxone Administration Heatmap
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Brought to you by State of Indiana
Legal Interventions to Reduce Overdose Mortality
Legal Interventions to Reduce Overdose Mortality: Naloxone Access and Overdose Good Samaritan Laws
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by Public Health Law Center
Screen grab of Opioids better for short term pain relief than chronic, doctors say
Opioids better for short term pain relief than chronic, doctors say
Story - Video
Brought to you by KSBW-TV
Naloxone Locator
Naloxone Distribution Locations
Tool
Screen capture of A Health Breakthrough that Depends on People, Not Drugs
A Health Breakthrough that Depends on People, Not Drugs
Story - Written
Brought to you by Yes! Magazine
Published on 01/01/2020
First page of opioid fact sheet
Opioid Medication & Pain: What You Need to Know
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by WHA
A person filling a pill container
Prescribe Safe: Combating Opioid Abuse
Story - Written
Brought to you by 100MHL
ambulance parked Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash
Bright Spot: Project Nazarus/Naloxone
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL


Opioid Crisis Effects on Family and Community

Photo of pharmacy shelves stocked with boxes of medication
Growing Accessibility of Opioids in Rural Areas
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 02/21/2017
Screen capture of Faces of an Epidemic
Faces of an Epidemic
Story - Written
Brought to you by TNY
Collateral Damage of the Opioid Crisis: Grandparents raising Grandchildren – What They Need and How to Help
Story - Written
Brought to you by Community Commons
Photo of a mother holding two young children
For The Babies Of The Opioid Crisis, The Best Care May Be Mom’s Recovery
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 05/15/2018
We Are Here: Annie Bennett on First Step Home and the Paradoxes of Life
Story - Written
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 01/17/2019
Screen shot of the front cover of the report
The Opioid Crisis and the Black/African American Population: An Urgent Issue
Resource - Report
Screen capture of In a Distressed Part of Ohio, One Way People Are Finding Work – and Purpose
In a Distressed Part of Ohio, One Way People Are Finding Work – and Purpose
Story - Written
Screen capture A Rural Community Decided To Treat Its Opioid Problem Like A Natural Disaster
A Rural Community Decided To Treat Its Opioid Problem Like A Natural Disaster
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR
Screen capture of Methamphetamine Roils Rural Towns Again Across The U.S.
Methamphetamine Roils Rural Towns Again Across The U.S.
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR

 Related Topics

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Substance Use

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U.S. Opioid Epidemic