Helping Communities Address Harm Reduction
With support from the CDC, we administered $500,000 in grants to 16 harm reduction organizations to help them better serve the needs of people who use drugs (PWUD) and individuals with substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. To increase adoption of effective harm reduction practices nationwide, we also developed training and technical assistance tools – from a national environmental scan and a guide to support telehealth and technology-assisted services for PWUD to targeted resources for deeply impacted communities like Native populations.
Providing Guidance on the Opioid Crisis
Fentanyl and its analogs are primary drivers of deaths in the opioid overdose crisis and are responsible for the third wave of the opioid epidemic. In “Guidance on Handling the Increasing Prevalence of Drugs Adulterated or Laced with Fentanyl,” one of the many National Council Medical Director Institute (MDI) publications distributed this year, we offered principles and recommendations for remediating the impacts of the rising rates of drugs adulterated or laced with fentanyl.
Identifying Overdose Concerns in Communities
Throughout the year, we conducted “State of the Industry” surveys to better understand and support the needs of our members. Our March report identified rising concerns about mental health, increases in overdoses and a surge in overdose death rates in communities across the country. It also revealed that 40% of the mental health and substance use treatment organizations surveyed would not be able to keep their doors open past the end of the year without additional federal relief.
Talking to Youth about Substance Use
Through our Youth Substance Use and Message Development During COVID-19 project, we created a message guide and toolkit that equips youth-serving providers and organizations with the resources to support meaningful prevention messaging. Within the first month of the project’s launch, our website received 37,000+ views and the message guide was downloaded 1,200+ times. We also completed year two of a joint initiative with the University of Michigan, National Center for School Safety and Bureau of Justice Assistance to develop and deploy a school safety toolkit.
Sharing Prevention and Recovery Insights
Through our virtual learning series, “National Council Conversations,” we invited subject matter experts to address the latest substance use issues and trends. In Episode #7, our guest speakers discussed the importance of harm reduction and the National Council’s work to address the surge in overdose cases across the country, and in Episode #9, two youth ambassadors offered their perspectives on the current work surrounding substance use prevention and treatment.