The Purchasing Director is soliciting proposals for the provision of media distribution for an Opioid Use Disorder campaign that is directly connected with Genesee County’s HEALing Communities Study. The goal of the study is to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths by 40 percent by
implementing evidence-based practices including opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs, prescription opioid safety, FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), behavioral therapies, and recovery support services.
Since 2019, there have been 53 fatal opioid overdoses in Genesee County, with 12 additional deaths still pending official causes of death as of July 2023. In 2022, Genesee County experienced at least 16 fatal opioid overdoses (a rate of 27.7 deaths per 100,000 residents).
Campaign messaging will include information on the following evidence-based practices:
1. Naloxone and Fentanyl Education
a. Knowing the signs and how to respond to an overdose
b. Getting trained and carrying naloxone, 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 contaminated with fentanyl
2. Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)
a. Increase understanding of MOUD
b. Reduce stigma that impacts people with the disease from seeking medical care
3. MOUD Treatment Retention
a. Understand how important medication treatment can be for recovery from OUD
b. Learn how to overcome commonly experienced barriers to treatment retention
c. Improve support for those in medication treatment
