Leadership, Management and Workforce Development
Sharing Session - 60 Minutes
Dana Fields-Johnson, MPA
Program Manager
Prevention Institute
With the opioid crisis growing, policymakers and the public are grappling with how to address the opioid epidemic and prevent alarming rates of overdose deaths nationwide. In the midst of this crisis, several pioneering communities in Ohio – including local health departments and other city and county agencies – are addressing the underlying factors contributing to the opioid crisis by applying “upstream” prevention approaches rooted in effective public health practice to consider the root causes of the overdose epidemic.
A core element of this emerging approach is based on recognizing and addressing the role of widespread individual and community trauma and the need for solutions that build protective factors and agencies within communities while supporting long-term treatment and recovery for those experiencing substance use disorders. This session will explore how a community trauma-informed approach can be applied to address and mitigate the exposures, behaviors, and high levels of hopelessness that are drivers of the opioid crisis. Further, it will examine how primary prevention strategies complement treatment and long-term recovery interventions to address stigma and support those in need while also strengthening collective efforts to prevent opioid misuse and addiction in the first place.