“The nation’s Community Action Agencies (CAAs) are uniquely positioned to help fight the opioid crisis and it’s devastating impact on low-income people. Ten of these antipoverty agencies exist in Montana and 1,000 nationwide and they have seen first-hand the human cost of the epidemic. People in poverty face daunting challenges as they work toward recovery. A lack of stable housing, education, employment, reliable transportation, or access to health care can undermine the best intentions and well-laid plans. The mission of Community Action is to identify causes and conditions of poverty, and to ensure that people have access to services that will help them gain control of these factors and lead productive and self-sufficient lives. The opioid crisis is both a cause and condition of poverty, and CAAs deliver a wide range of services to address immediate needs and support long-term goals.

 

In response, CAPNM has designed a project that focuses on staff and client education with 5 key objective: (1) research all existing community-based strategies currently operational in NW MT; (2) survey CAPNM clients to learn more about opioid usage and personal impacts; (3) increase CAPNM staff and select community partners knowledge through trainings; (4) launch a broad internal and external public education and awareness campaign entitled “Learn the Facts’, and (5) facilitate CAPNM client peer groups to support individual and family efforts toward prevention and intervention. Our desired long-term project impact is the reduced usage, overdose and deaths associated with opiates, both prescription and nonprescription. Our intended short-term impact is to infuse this issue into the regular and ongoing social service conversations and program delivery and planning sessions of several area wide networks.”