tenor of outreach and community relations is critical.”
3. Increase culturally relevant public awareness-- "Campaigns are White-washed and make no sense in Black communities." School of Medicine—Dougherty Alliance for the Prevention of Opioid Use Disorders and Phoebe Putney Network of Trust School Health Program partnered with the Albany Police Department to implement “Coffee with a Cop” at the ASPIRE—The Change Center. The Change Center is an addiction recovery support center, which is peer-led and based on relationships that support a person’s ability to promote their own recovery. This strategy allows for law enforcement and community members to get to know each other and to identify mutual community goals and common ground. CommunitySnapshot: Building trust betweencommunityand lawenforcement—CoffeewithaCop. 53 Efforts to address the distrust between Black/African Americans and law enforcement are underway in communities across the nation. Community-based organizations and counties are partnering with local law enforcement to create a program in which community members can have coffee with a police officer and talk about issues and community concerns without fear of being reported or arrested. 53 This strategy, “Coffee with a Cop” is taking place in Albany, Georgia to build rapport and trust between police officers and the local Black/African American community. The Morehouse The declaration of the opioid “epidemic” as a national emergency generated public awareness and social media campaigns. However, public awareness campaigns should be built on the needs assessments of the community. Communities are able to identify gaps in awareness and knowledge and provide key information in developing and tailoring health communication campaigns and subsequent prevention programs. Health communication campaigns on the opioid misuse and OUD in the Black/African American community need to include messages of hope and recovery and incorporate actors and images of people that look like the intended audience. They need to utilize communication mediums that are appealing and engaging for the community. There is high value placed on
2. Involve the community and develop multi- sectoral, diverse community partnerships— “Community-based organizations are the engines managing crises before they get to the hospital.” Involving the community—its residents, leaders and organizations—in solving community issues, particularly, opioid misuse, was underscored by the key informants. Involving the community in prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies relies on multi-sectoral partnerships and collaborations to leverage resources and expertise. Community Snapshot: Developing a wide and diverse network of partners—Detroit Recovery Project (DRP). DRP is a multi-service agency, focusing on Black/African Americans. It is dedicated to supporting recovery, which strengthens, rebuilds, and empowers individuals, families and communities affected by SUDs. The agency provides a wide spectrum of support services to the city’s recovery community, including GED preparation; twelve-step support groups; housing assistance; job readiness and employment assistance; HIV prevention, testing, counseling services; and ex- offender programs. Essential to the work of DRP is its diverse collaborations and partnerships. Examples of partnerships include the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center, which provides real-time data from emergency medical services to identify opioid-related overdose incidents in the city of Detroit that are mapped and reported to community programs. DRP partners with the Detroit Police Department, churches, local businesses and Detroit Public Schools on prevention events such as “Prescription Drug Take Back Day.” DRP develops memorandum of agreements with providers for provision of MAT and partners with federally qualified community health centers to host recovery coaches in their clinics. In conjunction with community leaders, DRP facilitates regular town hall meetings to address the opioid epidemic in Detroit. These robust collaborations strengthen ongoing prevention, treatment, and recovery supports tailored to the specific Black/African American community.
THE OPIOID CRISIS AND THE BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION: AN URGENT ISSUE
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