Abstract
This paper outlines lessons learned from tailoring communication campaigns to increase demand for, and reduce stigma toward, evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdose deaths in 66 communities participating in the HEALing (Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM) Communities Study (HCS). We present nine lessons gathered about how to engage local communities in both virtual and in-person opioid messaging and distribution between February 2019 and June 2022. The research team created four communication campaigns and did extensive, tailored marketing and promotion to assist communities in implementing evidence-based clinical activities to reduce opioid overdose mortality. Various strategies and venues were used to amplify HCS messages, using free and paid outlets for message distribution, focusing primarily on social media due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing the availability of medications for opioid use disorder and naloxone, as HCS attempted, is not enough; getting people to accept and use them depends on communication efforts. This paper focuses on the process of preparing communities for communication campaign activities, which we hope can help guide other communities preparing for opioid or substance-related campaigns in the future.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 699-705 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Health Communication |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:©, Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Funding
The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration through the NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative under award numbers UM1DA049394, UM1DA049406, UM1DA049412, UM1DA049415, UM1DA049417 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04111939). The study protocol (Pro00038088) was approved by Advarra Inc., the HEALing Communities Study single Institutional Review Board. We wish to acknowledge the participation of the HEALing Communities Study communities, community coalitions, and Community Advisory Boards who partnered with us on this study. We are grateful to Camille Clifford for preparation of this manuscript and work on the Healing Communities Study. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or the NIH HEAL InitiativeSM. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration through the NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative under award numbers UM1DA049394, UM1DA049406, UM1DA049412, UM1DA049415, UM1DA049417 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04111939). The study protocol (Pro00038088) was approved by Advarra Inc., the HEALing Communities Study single Institutional Review Board. We wish to acknowledge the participation of the HEALing Communities Study communities, community coalitions, and Community Advisory Boards who partnered with us on this study. We are grateful to Camille Clifford for preparation of this manuscript and work on the Healing Communities Study. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or the NIH HEAL Initiative. SM
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Camille Clifford | |
| National Institutes of Health Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | UM1DA049412, Pro00038088, UM1DA049394, UM1DA049415, NCT04111939, UM1DA049406, UM1DA049417 |
| Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Communication
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Library and Information Sciences
