Community Response Checklist

This checklist tool can help you prioritize programs and policies to address the opioid crisis that best fit your stakeholder role and your community.

The tool lists programs and policies which are essential for a comprehensive community response, using examples from our repository of program models as well as external resources. You can use the checklist to identify gaps in your community's response.

Prevention
Intervention, Policy, or Practice Stakeholders Examples
Promote opioid prescribing guidelines
  • Medical
Regulations on opioid prescribing
  • Health Insurers
  • Medical
  • Policymakers
Emergency department policies on opioid prescribing
  • Hospitals
  • Medical
State pain clinic/pill mill laws
  • Law Enforcement
  • Policymakers
Medical insurer and group practice policies to limit opioid prescribing
  • Health Insurers
Healthcare professional education on opioids
  • Health Insurers
  • Medical
Medical school curricula on opioids
  • Medical
  • School-based Educator
Academic detailing to healthcare professionals
  • Medical
Policies to limit marketing of opioids to doctors
  • Policymakers
Limit post-surgical opioid Rx
  • Hospitals
Optimize utilization of PDMPs
  • Medical
  • Pharmacies
Promote non-opioid pain therapies (NSAIDS, acupuncture, cannabis, exercise, massage, CBT, etc.)
  • Community Health Officials
  • Health Insurers
  • Medical
  • Pharmacies
  • Policymakers
Enhance pharmacy policies and procedures
  • Pharmacies
Public awareness campaigns
  • Community Coalitions
  • Community Health Officials
  • Employers
  • Pharmacies
  • School-based Educator
Lock Boxes
  • Community Coalitions
  • Pharmacies
School-based education
  • Community Coalitions
  • School-based Educator
Drug Disposal Events
  • Law Enforcement
  • Medical
  • Pharmacies
SBIRT, early detection
  • Medical
Improve state pharmacy board oversight
  • Pharmacies
  • Policymakers
Social determinants of opioid misuse
  • Health Insurers
  • Policymakers
Treatment
Intervention, Policy, or Practice Stakeholders Examples
Increase MOUD availability
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Health Insurers
  • Medical
Telemedicine
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Medical
Warm handoff to treatment
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • First Responders
  • Hospitals
  • Medical
MOUD in prisons/jails
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Criminal Justice
Treatment courts
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Criminal Justice
Pre-arrest route to tx
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Law Enforcement
Integrate MOUD into primary care
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Medical
Post-OD outreach
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Law Enforcement
  • Medical
Expand Medicaid to leverage opioid treatment
  • Policymakers
Drug court mandated tx
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Criminal Justice
Link at-risk population to tx services
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • First Responders
  • Hospitals
Treatment for pregnant women with OUD
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Hospitals
  • Medical
Contingency management in opioid addiction treatment
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
Recovery
Intervention, Policy, or Practice Stakeholders Examples
Post- incarceration
  • Law Enforcement
Peer-led outreach
  • Advocates / Peers
Drop-in center
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Community Health Officials
  • Medical
Recovery support services including peer support groups
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Community Health Officials
Peer recovery specialists/recovery coaching
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Community Health Officials
  • Hospitals
Survivor support services
  • Advocates / Peers
Housing and employment assistance
  • Community Health Officials
  • Employers
  • Law Enforcement
Recovery community organizations (RCOs)
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Community Coalitions
  • Community Health Officials
Virtual recovery support services
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Community Coalitions
  • Community Health Officials
Education supportive of recovery
  • Advocates / Peers
  • School-based Educator
Harm Reduction
Intervention, Policy, or Practice Stakeholders Examples
Naloxone distribution
  • Community Health Officials
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
  • Medical
  • Pharmacies
Overdose education and naloxone training
  • Community Coalitions
  • First Responders
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
Syringe exchange
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
  • Policymakers
Comprehensive HR
  • Community Coalitions
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
Safe injection sites
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
  • Medical
  • Policymakers
Provide safe opioids
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
  • Medical
  • Policymakers
Hybrid RCOs providing harm reduction services
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
Non-traditional settings delivering harm reduction services
  • Community Health Officials
  • Employers
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
  • Law Enforcement
Drug checking
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
  • Policymakers
Overdose detection
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Advocates / Peers
  • Community Health Officials
  • Criminal Justice
  • Employers
  • Harm Reduction Specialists
  • Hospitals
  • Medical
  • School-based Educator