Stigma can prevent or delay people with opioid use disorder (OUD) from seeking treatment. Life Unites Us was launched in September 2020 and is the result of a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Penn State University, Shatterproof, and The Public Good Projects. The campaign is supported by organizations, coalitions, and service providers across the state. 

Life Unites Us aims to reduce four levels of stigma:

• Public stigma - when the general population supports discriminatory stereotypes against those with OUD
• Self-stigma - when those with OUD internalize the stereotypical messages they receive
• Structural stigma - where the policies, rules, and practices of social institutions arbitrarily restrict the rights and opportunities of people with OUD
• Stigma against medications for OUD treatment - belief that using these medications is replacing one addictive substance with another

Some approaches of this educational campaign include:

• utilizing social media platforms to spread real-life stories of individuals and their family members battling OUD
• live and recorded webinars detailing tools and information necessary to effectively reduce stigma
• a web-based interactive data dashboard detailing the progress of the campaign 
• access to a wide range of resources 

The digital media campaign is being funded by a $1.9 million federal grant and will last 18 months. It is being rigorously evaluated to assess impact. More information on the initiative can be found in the pre-print paper here, the press release here, and the news article here.