HEALing Communities Study Data Coordinating Center

项目总结/文摘

Project Summary/Abstract The United States continues to grapple with an opioid overdose crisis that exacts a heavy, and increasing, toll on morbidity and mortality. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) developed to address this ongoing crisis include opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs; prescription drug monitoring programs and guidelines for opioid prescribing; FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder; treatment initiation and retention interventions; and recovery support services. However, these EBPs do not sufficiently penetrate community settings where opioid misuse and opioid use disorder are prevalent, nor are they utilized by local stakeholders, including people who live, work, and use drugs in communities. The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) designed the Communities That HEAL (CTH) intervention, a community-engaged, data-driven planning process to rapidly achieve reductions in opioid overdose deaths in 67 communities across four U.S. states: Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio. The CTH intervention includes three components: (1) community engagement; (2) the Opioid-overdose Reduction Continuum of Care Approach (ORCCA); and (3) a set of communication campaigns to reduce stigma and drive demand for EBPs. As the Data Coordination Center (DCC), RTI will translate and disseminate intervention products that are customized to specific audience information needs, health literacy levels, and preferences for communication. Our experienced team, engaged with the HCS parent study, will employ end user–focused methods to drive dissemination efforts under this supplement through two specific aims. We will accelerate translation of HCS research to practice by adapting the Community‐Engaged Research Dissemination framework (Aim 1), and we will engage HCS stakeholders and external experts to create dissemination products based on the community engagement components of the CTH intervention and the ORCCA (Aim 2). The DCC has experience overcoming the challenges associated with developing and executing a cohesive dissemination strategy that elevates the scientific and public visibility of a research collaborative. We are led by multiple Principal Investigators—Drs. Emmanuel Oga, LaShawn Glasgow, and Gary Zarkin—who are experienced leaders of multisite studies and experts in substance abuse, program management, and consensus building. The broader team of Core Leaders brings robust scientific and implementation science skills interwoven with a deep understanding of prevention science of opioid misuse and addiction. Targeted and rapid dissemination of community engagement lessons from the CTH intervention will provide practice- based guidance to communities on how to respond to their local opioid crisis.