Engaging Communities to Address the Opioid Crisis in Ohio: Lessons Learned

Community engagement is considered essential in addressing community health problems. This paper details lessons learned from community engagement efforts implemented to reduce opioid overdose deaths in nine Ohio communities participating in Wave 2 of the HEALing (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Communities Study (HCS). We describe community engagement strategies implemented during the Wave 2 intervention period, including coalition-building, fostering community collaboration, prioritizing health equity and policy advocacy, stigma reduction education, and elevating voices of people with lived experience (PWLE). We provide reflections from the perspective of Community Engagement Facilitators (CEFs) on how these strategies informed the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) within communities. Our community engagement approaches and reflections highlight three key lessons for future community engagement efforts: 1) An intentional and constant focus on community collaboration is a necessary and essential ingredient for successful community engagement; 2) introducing opportunities to define and discuss equity within the local community can lead to recognition of subgroups for directed intervention; 3) Engaging persons with lived experience (PWLE) can foster trust around stigmatizing issues.