Voices of Resiliency: Utah Stories of Substance Use Disorder, Stigma, & Harm Reduction Foreword

The foreword to the graphic novels in Voices of Resiliency: Utah Stories of Substance Use Disorder, Stigma, & Harm Reduction explains the aims of this community-driven project, including giving voice to the lived experiences and best practices around drug use, recovery, and stigma and harm reduction. The project creators share their hope that the volumes in the series will aid people who use drugs, their families and friends, neighbors, health professionals, educators, first responders, legislators, and people involved in the justice system in their journey regarding substance use disorder and stigma and harm reduction. The foreword acknowledges the generous funders and supporters and praises the outstanding project team members—including many community scholars. The project is an outcome of Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah’s Opioid Crisis Project, 2019-2021 an oral history effort which was partially inspired by Voices from Drug Court: Cache Valley Drug Court Oral History Project, 2016-17; both projects are housed in Utah State University’s Special Collections and Archives in Digital Collection.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/harmreductioncomics/1005/thumbnail.jp

Exercise Tips for Chronic Pain Management

This fact sheet describes chronic pain, who has it, and the best exercises for relief

Mindfulness for Chronic Pain Management

Chronic pain often occurs even after healing in the injury site because of changes in the way the brain perceives pain. Mindfulness is a simple mental activity, proven to reduce pain and the need for pain medication. Mindfulness increases the ability to mentally regulate pain, emotion, and behavior, alters the way the brain processes rewards, and restores positive feelings. Mindfulness can be learned in a class or at home and is an accessible alternative for managing pain

Public Health Violence Prevention: Supporting Law Enforcement

As frustrations over inequalities in policing and law enforcement continue despite attempted reforms (Beckett, 2016), many are asking for a more effective approach. A 2018 issue statement from the American Public Health Association (2018) highlights that violence is a public health issue that will not go away without the influence of a public health approach. The integrated biological-psychological-social model of health recognizes the complexity in the ways individuals are influenced by their situations, with violence as the unfortunate result of the wrong mix of circumstances. The public health approach to violence focuses on prevention as part of the solution. This fact sheet reviews public health approaches, examples of success, and what needs to happen next to bring public health and law enforcement together

The Urban/Rural Divide in Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Utah

Death by drug poisoning is the leading cause of death due to injury in the state of Utah (UDOH, 2014). From 2013-2015, Utah ranked seventh in the nation for drug overdose deaths, the majority of which were opioid-related (CDC, 2018a). In 2017, the age-adjusted mortality rate from drug overdose in Utah was 15.5 per 100,000, putting the state above the national average of 14.9 per 100,000 (CDC, 2018b). Opioid overdose death rates in most of rural Utah far exceeds rates across the urban counties of the state. The higher rates of deaths in rural Utah is indeed concerning. Evidence indicates that rural areas are particularly hard hit due to limited access to care and resources (USDA, 2019). Three kinds of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) approved for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) include: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone (SAMHSA, 2019a). These medications block the euphoric effect of drugs, relieve cravings, and stabilize brain chemistry without the negative side effects of the previously abused drug (SAMHSA, 2019b). This fact sheet gives details about MAT for opioid use disorder

Scaling Community Health Coalitions: The Well Connected Communities Pilot Initiative

We outline the process and development of the Well Connected Communities health initiative as undertaken in three Utah communities. This transformative community-focused alternative to addressing public health issues through Extension situates local communities as the origin for health decision making. The initiative recognizes the need for varied community statuses (i.e., planner, implementer, and innovator) based on varying levels of readiness and diversity of populations. We concluded that the Utah Well Connected Communities initiative aligns well with the 2014 Extension Committee on Organization and Policy National Framework for Health and Wellness. Replication requirements and implications for other Extension programs are presented

If You Suspect Your Child Is Using Opioids

Opioid use disorders touch the lives of many families, and numerous factors influence the decision to use substances. Your child’s drug use does not mean that you are unsuccessful at parenting. This fact sheet considers actions a parent can take to support a child suspected of using opioids. A number of local and national resources are also listed for further guidance and support services