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Communities wishing to take part in this program must submit an online application, due April 6, 2018. Please read all of the information below before you complete an application.
The School of Government/BlueCross BlueShield will provide the following to each participating community:
- five regional forums at which teams will form goals, set plans for implementation, collaborate across fields and jurisdictions, and learn from experts on opioid-related issues;
- School of Government support throughout the process;
- $10,000 to assist with the costs of hiring a community project manager; and
- $10,000 in implementation funding for the project.
Each community team will be asked to contribute the following:
- a committed team—representing multiple departments, jurisdictions, and/or organizations addressing opioid issues—that will invest the time, energy, and work needed to achieve team goals; and
- travel funds for some team members (likely 3–5 individuals) to attend the forums.
A panel made up of faculty members from the School will review the applications and select ten communities. The following criteria will guide the selection process:
- diversity of geography, economy, and demography;
- a community’s prior experience with opioid mitigation efforts;
- the magnitude of the crisis in the applicant community;
- the applicant’s identification of a core team composed of three individuals from different local government(s) and/or organizations within the community; and
- demonstration of community commitment through at least three letters of support.
Communities may apply as individual county teams, municipal-county partnerships, or multi-county collaboratives. Note that in any of these combinations, at least one county must be represented.
Assembling Community Teams
As part of the application process discussed immediately above, a community interested in participating in the School of Government’s opioid mitigation program must identify a core team, which is to be made up of three key individuals representing different local governments and/or organizations within the community.
The core team is charged with identifying members of the full community team. The community team should be a diverse group of local government officials and important community actors, all committed to active participation in the two-year program. As needed, the School will assist communities in building the full team (for example, by use of a stakeholder identification exercise).
Given that each community has different needs and different key stakeholders, composition of the full community teams will vary. Community teams may include, but are not limited to, the following individuals:
- Elected officials
- City and county managers
- Public health officials
- Mental health officials
- Social services employees
- Law enforcement officials
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel
- Judges and/or magistrates
- Attorneys
- Superintendents of school systems
- Public library representatives
- Community college administrators
- Military representatives
- Staff of nonprofits