Over the past 20 years, almost 1 million Americans have lost their lives to a drug-involved overdose. In 2016, the White House declared a public health emergency and epidemic, yet opioid overdoses and related deaths have continued to climb to record-breaking numbers.
There is a critical need for ongoing evidence to guide decision-making in this area, including identifying effective programs and strategies, and providing research-based technical assistance and resources tailored to local contexts.
How can the Justice and Prevention Research Center help address the opioid epidemic?
The Justice and Prevention Research Center (JPRC) at WestEd supports federal, state, and local partners, by providing comprehensive expertise in addressing substance misuse prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction efforts, research and evaluation, training and technical assistance, and policy development through evidence-based, data-driven solutions.
- Implement systems thinking approaches through coalitions and taskforces to understand how the community interconnects when developing and implementing policy and practices
- Needs Assessments to identify areas of focus, identify targeted evidence-base strategies, prioritize resources, and strategic planning
- Assess implementation readiness to ensure systems are ready to implement new policies and practices to reduce inefficient resource allocation
- Assistance in making evidence-informed decisions through up-to-date system data
- Training and technical assistance to assess system performance, explore trouble spots, identify evidence-based solutions, measure readiness to apply solutions, and develop calibration recommendations and improvement plans
- Evaluation of interventions to identify need areas, evidence-based practice solutions, and continuous quality improvement strategies
Contact
Discover how the JPRC at WestEd can inform your efforts to prevent substance misuse through system’s thinking approaches and enhance overall public health to save lives.
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Our Experts
Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia, DrPH, MS
Director of Justice and Public Health Policy and Programs
Sarah Guckenburg, MPH
Senior Research Associate