Recognizing the complex social problems that are intertwined with the opioid crisis, Ohio decided to take an innovative approach. Through grant funding under the federal 21st Century CURES Act, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) awarded funding to two cohorts of Ohio communities to participate in the Community Collective Impact Model for Change (CCIM4C) initiative, a two-year program to reduce opioid-related deaths and increase access to treatment in the state of Ohio. 

During the initiative, 18 communities across the state utilized a data-driven, strategic planning process with a focus on community trauma, using the Tool for Health & Resilience in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE) and the Adverse Community Experiences and Resilience Framework (ACE|R), and an emphasis on working collectively across the continuum of care, using a collective impact model, to address the opioid crisis and social determinants of health in their local communities. Eleven communities were involved in the first cohort (2017-2019) and seven communities are currently involved in the second cohort. 

The initiative had two overall goals:

• Reduction in opioid use disorder (OUD) deaths as a result of increased collaboration between prevention, treatment, and recovery supports
• Increased access to OUD treatment, including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)

To achieve these goals, each community designated a backbone organization (e.g. county behavioral health authority or community-based coalition) that identified the scope of the problem and available interventions already in place in the area, brought together a wide range of stakeholders in multiple sectors, and developed a strategic plan across the continuum of care to mount a more comprehensive response. These local teams are supported by an overarching leadership team. In addition to a strategic plan across the continuum of care, the teams are tasked with developing a strategic plan that goes beyond the typically responses to the opioid crisis, addressing the complex social problems that fuel this public health emergency, such as childhood trauma, poverty, unstable housing, economic opportunity, and social isolation. 

More details on the initiative and contact information can be found in the presentations here and here and the videos here and here. An independent evaluation of the program from 2017-2019 can be accessed here. A peer-reviewed paper that reports successes and lessons learned from the initiative's first cohort can be found here.