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Opioid abuse prevention

U.P. coalitions receive funding to conduct community studies

Photo courtesy of Pexels

MARQUETTE –When we think of drug abuse, we often consider it to be a “big city” problem, but, in fact, the issue is hitting closer and closer to home.

A study released in October from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that drug overdose deaths are more prevalent in rural areas than in their metropolitan counterparts.

Prescription drug and opioid abuse has reached epidemic proportions in Michigan, according to a Blue Cross Blue Shield press release, with the number of deaths from drug overdoses in 2016 more than tripling the number in 2012.

“Overall, 2,335 Michigan residents died in 2016 from drug overdoses,” the BCBS release states, “which is more deaths than car accidents.”

In an effort to target the crisis and help reduce the number of deaths, coalitions across all 15 Upper Peninsula counties are gearing up to combat the opioid crisis with some help from a powerful partnership.

Attendees discuss strategies for youth-focused prevention during U.P. Coalition Network’s inaugural UP-Wide Key Leader Group meeting at the Landmark Inn on Jan. 17. Fourteen coalitions representing all 15 Upper Peninsula counties will use $70,000 in grant funds to conduct surveys targeting opiod abuse in U.P. communities. (Courtesy photo)

The U.P. Coalition Network will be awarded $70,000 in grant funds from a partnership between the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Superior Health Foundation.

The funding — which the press release states will be provided through the Taking Action on Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse in Michigan by Supporting Community Responses Initiative — will allow 14 coalitions from 15 U.P.counties to complete evidence-based community readiness surveys.

The partnership provides one-time grants to begin new projects, or to enhance or expand existing projects aimed at reducing opioid and prescription drug abuse and harm.

“This joint effort is a major initiative designed to help community coalitions address the growing opioid epidemic impacting Michigan residents in every corner of our state,” said Daniel J. Loepp, president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. “It’s imperative we turn our attention to the needs of the individuals and families being affected by this crisis. This funding will promote a larger network of resources throughout the state with an emphasis on prevention, treatment and support services.”

The U.P. Coalition Network addresses a variety of issues in an effort to create a safer, healthier Upper Peninsula for kids and teens.

Gery Shelafoe, substance use disorder prevention coordinator for NorthCare Network, said the coalition will conduct a study, developed by the College of Natural Sciences at Colorado State University, to determine how ready a community is to address the issue of opioid abuse in order to construct a strategy to combat the problem.

“The basic premise is that matching an intervention to a community’s level of readiness is absolutely essential for success,” the CSU site states. “Efforts that are too ambitious are likely to fail because community members will not be ready or able to respond. To maximize chances for success, the Community Readiness Model offers tools to measure readiness and to develop stage-appropriate strategies.”

Jim LaJoie, executive director of the Superior Health Foundation in Marquette, said the opioid crisis is of grave concern to many.

“We have seen the devastating effects of this in our rural communities. Families are being destroyed … people are dying,” LaJoie said. “We’re honored to partner with a number of invested state organizations to provide meaningful grant dollars to address this epidemic.”

In addition to the funding provided to the U.P. Coalition Network, eight other community coalitions throughout Michigan will receive a total of $570,400 in funding through the initiative.

The grants will support projects in nine coalitions in every region across the state over 18 months to identify and implement collective actions to prevent and reduce opioid and prescription drug misuse and address the harms they cause, the release states.

Evidenced-based programs to address the opioid epidemic in local communities, ranging from education to law enforcement to clinical interventions, were considered for the grant funding, according to the release.

Challenges related to the crisis are different from community to community, said Becky Cienki, senior program officer for the Michigan Health Endowment, so solutions cannot be one-size-fits-all.

“Communities across Michigan are fighting the effects of the opioid epidemic,” Cienki said, “but success will look different in different places. With these grants, communities can apply solutions that will work for their neighborhoods, their needs and their residents.”

Although the U.P. Coalition Network does not need volunteers to conduct the surveys, Shelafoe said every volunteer is crucial to the success of the coalition.

“We always need volunteers, and nobody that joins the coalition needs to have special training,” Shelafoe said. “We need the average Joe to volunteer to be a part of the organizations in their area.”

From bake sales to grant writing, Shelafoe said, the volunteer opportunities are varied.

Anyone wishing to volunteer for the coalition in their area should visit the organization’s prevention page at upprevention.org/upcn/.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242.

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