Published
2022-05-24
Section
From the Guest Editor
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Robin Austin, Clarence Jones, Willie Dominguez, Diana Hawkins, Carren Ondara, David Haynes, Karen Monsen, Mickey Eder
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All work in IJPS is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Copyright of content published in IJPS belongs to the author(s).
How to Cite
Shifting the Opioid Conversation from Stigma to Strengths: Opportunities for Developing Community-Academic Partnerships
Robin Austin
School of Nursing, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Clarence Jones
Hue-MAN Partnership
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9030-2368
Willie Dominguez
Parents in Community Action
Diana Hawkins
Hawthorne Neighborhood Council
Carren Ondara
Abbott Northwestern Hospital
David Haynes
Institute for Health Informatics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Karen Monsen
School of Nursing, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0196-9799
Mickey Eder
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/ijps.v9i1.4671
Keywords: Community-based participatory research, Opioids, Resilience, Community-academic partnership
Abstract
Background: Opioid misuse and abuse is a longstanding concern, particularly in underserved communities. Community-level data is needed to understand how to best address the opioid crisis. A strengths-based whole-person approach can offset challenges in working to maximize individual health.
Objectives: Project objectives included acquiring and providing data to the community to engage members in meaningful conversations about opioid misuse and abuse and gather insights to shape a response to the opioid crisis.
Methods: University of Minnesota School of Nursing faculty collaborated with community partner Hue-MAN Partnership, to develop and implement a Community Opioid Survey at neighborhood meetings. The MyStrengths+MyHealth assessment was used to identify strengths of community members. Community meetings included introductions by the Hue-MAN Partnership, presentation of the survey data, and facilitated discussion to involve community members in data interpretation and solution development.
Results: Data was collected at 11 community meetings between June 2018 and May 2019. Approximately half of respondents had been affected by opioid misuse or overdose; oxycodone was the most frequent opioid involved; community clinics were the most available resource; and community education was identified as a needed resource to reduce misuse and overdose. Communities perceived and used language differently in talking about opioids.
Conclusion: The community-academic- partnership enabled collection of community-specific data that may have been inaccessible to researchers working alone. Access to community-specific data holds promise for increasing research relevance and for engaging community knowledge and needs.
