MAYVILLE — Chautauqua County is excited to join 33 other communities across New York, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Ohio in launching the first communications campaign for the Healing Communities Study. The first campaign running from until Dec. 2 is focused on raising awareness of the dangers of illicit fentanyl, a drug that is present in more than three-quarters of the 2,000+ overdose deaths that occur in New York each year. In addition to sharing facts about the dangers of illicit fentanyl, the HEALing Communities Study campaign teaches ways to protect our loved ones and community members from a fatal fentanyl overdose including:

¯ Knowing the signs and how to respond to an overdose; and

¯ Getting trained and carrying naloxone (also known as Narcan or Kloxxado), an FDA-approved medication that can save someone’s life if they are overdosing on opioids, whether it is a prescription opioid pain medicine, heroin, or a drug containing fentanyl.

“We are excited to work with our community partners to bring life-changing information to our communities,” said Deb Maggio, HCS Communications Champion. “We are confident that together, we will discover data to better equip us with the information needed to reduce opioid deaths in Chautauqua County.”

ABOUT THE HEALING COMMUNITIES STUDY

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimates that 2.1 million Americans have opioid use disorder, yet fewer than 20% of those receive specialty care in a given year. New York State has one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in the nation. A menu of evidence-based practices (EBPs) exists, including opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs, prescription opioid safety, FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, behavioral therapies, and recovery support services. Unfortunately, these EBPs have largely failed to penetrate community settings.

Project Manager Steve Kilburn said, “Naloxone isn’t the end of help and treatment, but for many, it is a necessary and life-saving beginning. Premature death from any cause is tragic, and our hope is that this campaign will have the effects of raising awareness and reducing overdose deaths in Chautauqua County.”

As a result, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) launched the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) to identify the EBPs that are most effective at the local level in preventing and treating OUD. The goal of the study is to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths by 40 percent. The first phase of the study, which ended June 30, occurred in Cayuga, Columbia, Greene, Erie, Lewis, Putnam, Suffolk, and Ulster Counties. The second phase of the study will now run through December 2023 in Broome, Chautauqua, Cortland, Genesee, Monroe, Orange, Sullivan, and Yates counties. In support of this work, Chautauqua County is collaborating with local partners on a newly formed coalition to launch three communications campaigns: Naloxone-Fentanyl Education, Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Awareness, and MOUD Treatment Retention.

To learn more about the HEALing Communities Study and to help end overdoses in Chautauqua County, visit: HEALTogetherNY.org/Chautauqua or on Facebook: CombatAddictionCHQ.