The previously identified area of concern is the lack of resources for addressing opioid overdose cases in La Paz County in Arizona. From preliminary research, effective means of drug overdose death prevention include local service providers’ access to opioid agonists, such as naloxone, ensuring adequate training on drug agonist use and administration, and fighting against the anti-PWUD (people who use drugs) stigma. This advocacy plan details three policy practice actions that can facilitate the issue’s resolution and improve opioid addicts’ access to overdose care in the area.
The first possible action involves selecting a trusted platform for policy blogging, for instance, WordPress.org, and starting a blog on the opioid crisis in Arizona’s rural areas. Through brief but regularly posted policy and research review articles with relevant keywords and hashtags, it will be possible to increase the online community’s awareness of the state of opioid addiction crisis in La Paz County and Parker, the potential benefits of expanded access to naloxone, and the stigma that surrounds the care of PWUD in rural settings. The action can contribute to the desired outcome, the local and state governments’ actions towards assuring more opioid use prevention resources for the area, by gathering the local community’s attention and preparing it for taking mass advocacy action to improve access to emergent care for overdose events. Specifically, the author’s social environment, social media contacts, and participation in Facebook communities for La Paz residents will facilitate changes to the population’s awareness and create meaningful contacts with local activists and advocacy groups concerned with the issue.
The next readily available initiative revolves around increasing the state government’s awareness of the need for new policies and program funding decisions to achieve equality for PWUD in Parker and increase their life expectancy. In particular, the next step is writing a letter to Regina Cobb, a representative of Arizona’s Legislative District Five. The letter will review and problematize the state of drug overdose prevention in Parker and seek support in crafting a bill to promote rural areas’ expanded access to naloxone and other overdose prevention resources. Regarding the measure’s contributions to the anticipated outcomes, writing to the representative can improve the recognition of the multifaceted problem by the legislative bodies and increase its chance of being incorporated into the state’s current legislative priorities.
The third measure to pursue involves advocating for local community organizations’ active engagement in naloxone distribution. The strategy centers on the dissemination of information on the naloxone kit distribution and education offered by the Arizona Center for Rural Health (ACRH). The use of flyers and the organization’s contact information to conduct brief conversations with local social workers and volunteers in areas with limited access to first responders will contribute to positive change by popularizing the idea of peer-administered opioid agonist therapy. The effectiveness and feasibility of this approach for the prevention of overdose deaths in rural areas without well-developed clinical networks have been ascertained in previous research. A number of new applicants from Parker might encourage the ACRH to consider new educational approaches.
In summary, due to being realistic and requiring moderate investments of time and financial resources, the listed efforts can make modest but meaningful contributions to the resolution of rural Arizona’s situation with drug overdoses. The plan incorporates various acceptable modes of political participation, including stakeholder communication, seeking support from legislators, and mass education through media creation. By disseminating information on opioid agonist distribution options in non-healthcare settings and takeaways from credible research, it is possible to take awareness of the problem to the next level.