Coalitions are a key resource for expanding the implementation of evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdose trends. This webinar featured researchers and partners from the four HEALing Communities Study (HCS) states who provided valuable insights into how community coalitions were organized and how their structure influenced coalition effectiveness in addressing the opioid crisis.
Building on experiences of the HCS, this webinar covered the role of coalition charters, capacity building, and the impact of the Communities That HEAL (CTH) intervention – a community-driven approach designed to reduce opioid overdoses by strengthening local coalitions and implementing evidence-based strategies related to opioid education and naloxone distribution, medication treatment for opioid use disorder, and safer opioid prescribing and dispensing.
Speakers
Dr. Bridget Freisthler, Cooper-Herron Endowed Professor in Mental Health, University of Tennessee
Dr. Pam Salsberry, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University, College of Public Health
Dr. Linda Sprague Martinez, Professor and Director, University of Connecticut, Health Disparities Institute
Dr. Emily Nelson, Research Associate, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine
Dr. Darcy Freedman, Swetland Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine
Carol Baden, Community Health Advisor, The Office of Governor DeWine, Recovery Ohio
Dr. Whittney Darnell, Associate Professor, Northern Kentucky University, School of Media and Communication