COVID-19 and Opioids: A Rural Epidemic Short Documentary Teaser
Watch the film teaser above. Stay tuned to learn more about how COVID-19 pandemic acted like jet fuel for the opioid epidemic, causing rural areas across the Western United States in unforeseen ways. To learn more, get involved by scrolling down.
About the Project
The goal of Linking C.O.R.E. Leaders is to lessen the long-term harms associated with the overlapping epidemics of opioid misuse/abuse and COVID-19 in rural communities of Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. The Nevada Public Health Training Center, with support from geographically-representative community members, has created a 12-week distance-learning program, targeted at Natural Community Leaders (NCLs), that aligns with the resources, values, and social factors of rural communities. Upon completion of the program, NCLs will have the opportunity to work closely with the Nevada Public Health Training Center and community partners to create unique, individualized dissemination plans to ensure that their communities positively benefit from Linking C.O.R.E. Leaders.
What is a Natural Community Leader?
A person who is dedicated to taking on an issue in their community and is fearless in raising awareness for and improving community health.
Linking C.O.R.E. Leaders addresses topics including:
- Health equity in rural communities.
- Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and harm reduction.
- Navigating stigma and cultural competency.
- Intersection of different public health emergencies (i.e. COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic)
- Stigma, medical mistrust and misinformation.
- Impact on mental health.
Natural Community Leaders can expect to gain skills in:
- Action planning in response to community need
- Community organizing and mobilization
- Planning for sustainability and evaluation
- Navigating sensitive topics
How does a Natural Community Leader
create positive change?
