A Local Approach to a National Crisis: Scaling Community-Based Solutions for the Opioid Crisis

Most people think of the opioid crisis as something far removed from their lives. That addiction could never happen to them or someone they love. But the reality is that opioid misuse can happen to anyone, and it often starts in the hospital after a routine medical procedure or sudden injury. It’s happening across the board, within communities just like yours and mine. But despite its national scale, the opioid epidemic requires local solutions. With over 105,000 overdose deaths in 2023 alone, the need for integrated care and community-based prevention has never been more urgent.

During this session, Cammie Wolf Rice, founder of CWC Alliance and author of The Flight: My Opioid Journey, will share her personal journey of losing her son, Christopher, to opioid misuse – a struggle that started with a doctor’s prescription for post-surgical pain at just 12 years old. This devastating loss led her to create the Life Care Specialist (LCS) role, a first-of-its-kind position in healthcare, to address the critical gap that failed Christopher – making sure patients receive trauma-informed pain management and substance use prevention as part of their treatment plan.

Since its launch in 2019 at Grady Memorial Hospital, the LCS program has expanded to 10 hospitals nationwide, was featured in a 2023 Harvard Business School case study, and is now reaching rural communities through opioid settlement funding. In Arkansas, the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP) awarded $232,602 each to North Arkansas Regional Medical Center and Ouachita County Medical Center to train and hire Life Care Specialists. These funds ensure that patients in underserved areas receive holistic, trauma-informed care and essential support for pain management and substance misuse prevention. Additionally, Grady Memorial Hospital received $227,128 in opioid settlement funds to sustain the Life Care Specialist program.

Additionally, CWC Alliance has partnered with investigators at Emory University School of Nursing through the HRSA-funded program, Atlanta’s Resiliency Resource for Frontline Workers (ARROW). Through this partnership, over 700 frontline healthcare workers have been trained, with an additional 300 participants trained in Crisis Resource Management (CRM), equipping them with essential tools to address crisis intervention within the hospital setting.

CWC Alliance is also tackling the opioid crisis at its roots through prevention and education. In partnership with Resilient Georgia, CWC Alliance is leading the Statewide Teen Opioid and Fentanyl Prevention Education and Training Initiative, supported by a $933,980.64 grant from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust. This program will train youth as peer educators and leverage a statewide network to disseminate prevention messaging across urban, suburban, and rural communities.

This session will showcase how community-based solutions can be scaled to drive measurable impact. From hospital-based programs to peer-led education initiatives, attendees will learn how local investments in prevention and early intervention can be integrated into mainstream development practices.