S.A.F.E. Project US (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic) and Atlas Research today announced a recent environmental scan that will inform S.A.F.E.’s strategic plan to reverse the U.S. opioid epidemic.
“Working with Atlas Research was an important step toward implementing an informed plan of action to fight what is indisputably a national emergency,” said S.A.F.E. Executive Director Rosemary Williams. “The information gathered will inform S.A.F.E’s strategy for implementation, allowing us to fill critical gaps, bolster efforts that are already making an impact, and lead the charge for an integrated approach that will ultimately save lives.”
Deaths from prescription opioids—drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and others—have more than quadrupled since 1999 (Source: CDC). S.A.F.E partnered with Atlas Research to conduct an environmental scan to assess the efforts of non-profits, foundations, and other non-governmental U.S. organizations and summarize with a focus on opioid-related programming, interventions, or similar awareness campaigns among S.A.F.E.’s six lines of operation: 1) Public Awareness, 2) Full-Spectrum Prevention, 3) Prescription Medicine, 4) Law Enforcement and Medical Response, 5) Treatment and Recovery, and 6) Family Outreach and Support.
For Atlas Research, and from the perspective of Julia Rollison, Senior Principal of Evaluation and Research for Atlas, “Conducting this environmental scan dramatically improved our and S.A.F.E.’s ability to identify and understand existing approaches and gaps in addressing opioid abuse and overdose prevention across the front lines of key sectors such as school, hospital, and criminal justice systems. We feel privileged to have supported S.A.F.E. in this research as they embark on implementing promising practices in areas of need across their lines of operation.”
The Atlas team identified gaps in national efforts, including a lack of: 1) resources and support for siblings, children, spouses, and other family members; 2) information on the options for and efficacy of alternative pain management strategies and non-addictive treatment alternatives; 3) research on clinical adherence to prescribing opioids; and 4) educational resources and treatment navigation services tailored to the needs of pregnant women.
“This research makes us more aware of unrecognized and perhaps champion-less efforts, as well as like-minded organizations using multi-faceted approaches. It also means greater access to promising practices, which provides a better understanding of the landscape and how we can be smarter about what we do, how we do it, and with whom we do it,” concluded Williams.