Community Engagement

The HEALing Communities Study engaged local community members in every stage of the research process, from the planning and coalition building stages to implementation and evaluating successes. Many community partners, including health care providers, behavioral health specialists, business owners, law enforcement officials, civic leaders, and people living in recovery and their families, rose to the challenge of reducing opioid overdose deaths in their communities.

Engaging community members in our research ensured that overdose-reduction strategies matched their needs, values, and goals. This page provides guidance on how to take a community-led approach in selecting and carrying out overdose reduction practices in your community.

HCS Research Belongs to Everyone

The research knowledge produced from this study belongs to everyone – not just researchers, coalition members, government officials, and study organizers, but anyone who wants to play an important role in ending opioid overdoses in their community.

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Engaging Community Coalitions To Decrease Opioid Overdose Deaths Practice Guide

This guide provides tips and tools for building and maintaining a community coalition that focuses on reducing opioid overdose deaths.

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How can you help? One simple way you can play a role in ending the overdose crisis is sharing information about the HCS study with your community. Please post on social channels using the hashtag #healingtogether.