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Opioid Misuse Prevention and Reduction Project - Middlesex County, MA

Project

Image of hand holding pillsToday’s opioid overdose and misuse crisis is a stubborn, complex, and multi-system problem touching individuals, families, schools, agencies, and employers throughout the country. Last year alone, over 2,000 people in Massachusetts died from an opioid involved overdose; 12 percent of those deaths occurred in Middlesex County, the 21st most populous county in America and located west and north of Boston.

In partnership with the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, AIR has initiated a cross-system study to develop locally-relevant and research-informed strategies to reduce and prevent opioid misuse. The project is examining data from multiple systems (such as law enforcement and public health), collecting information from people with opioid use disorders, mapping system resources and responses to the problem, and measuring system readiness to apply solutions rooted in research evidence. 

Middlesex County has a diverse population and includes urban, suburban, and rural communities, reflecting Massachusetts demographics as a whole. Thus, learning from the project may be scalable to other areas of the state.

This initiative builds off existing community partnerships including the three regional opioid task forces led by the District Attorney’s Office. Participating agencies include first responders, law enforcement, health care and mental health professionals, educators, and municipal partners.

Testimony of AIR's John McGah to the Special Commission on Behavioral Health Promotion and Upstream Prevention in Massachusetts
Opioid Misuse Prevention and Reduction Project - Middlesex County, MA (PDF)

Related Work

Image of Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar
10 Jun 2019
Video

Tackling the Opioid Epidemic Through Research and Patient Care

Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, director of AIR’s Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES) and a practicing physician at Heartland Alliance Health in Chicago, discusses her personal experience in treating patients with addiction and how research can help tackle the opioid epidemic.
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photo of Trish Campie

Patricia E. Campie

Principal Researcher
Image of Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia

Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia

Senior Researcher

Topics

Health
Substance Use Disorders

Related Resources

Long Story Short: What Role Can Providers Play in Addressing the Prescription Opioid Epidemic?
Opioid Misuse, Overdose, and Death: A National Public Health Emergency

Related Projects

Community Solutions to End the Opioid Epidemic in Tennessee

RESEARCH. EVALUATION. APPLICATION. IMPACT.

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