About the HEALing Communities Study
What is the HEALing Communities Study?
In 2019, the University of Kentucky (UK) received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to implement the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) in 16 counties across Kentucky. Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio were also awarded.
At a high-level, the goal was to study what combination of proven approaches leads to the fastest and most effective reduction in opioid overdose deaths in partnership with federal, state, community, public health, criminal legal system, behavioral health, and healthcare partners. The study leveraged existing resources and initiatives, in partnership with communities, to implement strategies and set evidence-based standards that will become a national model for fighting the opioid epidemic.
Which counties participated? As one of four sites nationwide, UK and the Commonwealth of Kentucky addressed the opioid epidemic in a randomized study that included 16 Kentucky counties acutely impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD).
What's next?
The idea and hope is to take what works well in these communities and use it in other places across the state and country. It is based on the strong belief that when communities and a state work together, leveraging the resources of a top research university, they can transform lives and communities everywhere.
Click here to download the HCS infographic summarizing implementation efforts.
Resources developed throughout the study, including information on community resources, manuals and toolkits, and educational videos, are available across this website. Some of these resources are highlighted below, but please browse around to view additional content.
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