I'M GOING TO WELCOME AND INTRODUCE MY COLLEAGUE, KENDRA MORGAN, WHO'S GOING TO GET US STARTED TODAY.
WELCOME, KENDRA.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH JENNIFER AND THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US.
I AM SO PLEASED THAT YOU COULD BE PART OF THIS PRESENTATION TODAY ABOUT PUBLIC LIBRARIES RESPONDING TO THE OPIOID CRISIS WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES.
I AM THE PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR THIS PROJECT, WHICH IS AN IMLS FUNDED GRANT AND I AM JOINED TODAY BY MY COLLEAGUES LYNN SILIPIGNI CONNAWAY WHO REALLY HELPED TO LEAD THE RESEARCH EFFORTS HERE, LARRA CLARK AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, AND THEN MICHELLE JESKE FROM THE DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY AND MARION RORKE FROM THE DENVER DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO SHARE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR PROJECT THAT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR AND HOW WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSING ON LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW LIBRARIES ARE SUPPORTING THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE OPIOID CRISIS.
SO THIS IS A PRETTY STARTLING AND SADDENING STATISTIC AND THAT'S THAT MORE THAN 130 PEOPLE ARE DYING EVERY DAY AS A RESULT OF AN OPIOID-RELATED OVERDOSE AND THAT'S JUST IN THE U.S.
AND THAT WORKS OUT TO OVER 47,000 PEOPLE A YEAR.
AND THOSE ARE STATISTICS FROM 2017 AND THOSE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN RISING STEADILY OVER SEVERAL YEARS.
WITH THE IMPACT SPREADING ACROSS ALL AGE GROUPS, RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS, COMMUNITY SIZES AND LOCALES, AND IT'S REALLY TURNING -- SURFACING IN SOME STATES AND REGIONS AS A FULL-ON EPIDEMIC AND WHILE THE DEATH RATE IS PARTICULARLY A SEVERE IMPACT, THERE'S ALSO RAMPANT MISUSE OF OPIOIDS AND MORE THAN 20% PATIENTS WHO HAVE BEEN PRESCRIBED OPIOIDS END UP MISUSING THEM.
AND THIS SITUATION REALLY UNDERSCORES THE URGENT NEED FOR FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL EFFORTS TO FORMULATE PREVENTION RESPONSES, TREATMENT STRATEGIES, AND STRENGTHEN PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY PARTNERSHIPS.
AND THAT'S WHAT LED US TO LOOKING AT THIS PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON HOW LIBRARIES ARE PARTNERING WITH OTHER AGENCIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THIS CRISIS.
THE WAY THAT THIS GOT STARTED WAS TWO YEARS AGO, PLA AND WEBJUNCTION HOSTED A TOWN HALL ON THIS TOPIC AND IT WAS A VIRTUAL EVENT.
YOU CAN STILL WATCH THE RECORDING AND WE HAD SPEAKERS FROM LIBRARIES, COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO HAVE STORIES AND RESOURCES TO SHARE AND THIS WORD CLOUD IS JUST SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT SURFACED DURING THE CHAT.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ENCOURAGING TODAY IS THAT YOU SHARE IN CHAT RESOURCES THAT YOUR LIBRARY HAS DEVELOPED IF YOU HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS OR HAVE OFFERED PROGRAMMING IN YOUR COMMUNITY, THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO SHARE IT AND GIVE OTHERS A PEEK INTO SOME OF THE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING.
BUT WE TOOK THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THAT TOWN HALL TO PUT TOGETHER A GRANT APPLICATION, AND PLA AND OCLC TOGETHER BOTH SAW THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WORK IN THE FIELD.
WEBJUNCTION IS A PROGRAM OF OCLC RESEARCH AND WE LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW LIBRARIES ARE IMPACTING THEIR COMMUNITIES, THE TYPES OF SERVICES THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING AND WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR AN IMLS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANT AND THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN FUNDED AND HAS BEEN A REALLY IMPACTFUL PROGRAM ON ME PERSONALLY TO GET TO WORK ON.
I GOT TO GO OUT INTO THE LIBRARIES AND CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WITH LIBRARY STAFF, WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT AFTER LEAVING SOME OF THESE INTERVIEWS, I WAS REALLY PROFOUNDLY IMPRESSED BY THE LEVEL OF WORK, THE LEVEL OF COMPASSION, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING AND SO WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS AND IT REALLY ALIGNS WELL WITH THE EFFORTS OF OCLC AND PLA TO SERVE OUR CONSTITUENTS.
I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER REAL QUICKLY TO MY COLLEAGUE LARRA TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THIS ALIGNS WITH PLA'S EFFORTS.
>> HELLO, EVERYONE.
THANKS, KENDRA.
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION IS SO PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS EFFORT WITH OCLC AND SHARE WHAT KENDRA JUST SAID IN TERMS OF WHAT THE VALUE IS FOR WHAT WE'VE SEEN AND ARE PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH PLA BOARD MEMBER MICHELLE JESKE ON THIS WEBINAR TODAY AND WITH SO MANY OTHER MEMBER LEADERS WHO ARE ACTIVATING AND STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO BEST SERVE ALL THE PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
PLA KNOWS PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARE AT THE HEART OF EVERY U.S. COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATE EACH DAY TO ADDRESS CRITICAL LOCAL NEEDS LIKE THIS, BUT CERTAINLY MANY MORE IN ADDITION.
WE ARE PLEASED TO SUPPORT AND SHARE THIS RESEARCH AND LEARNINGS FROM PUBLIC LIBRARIES ACROSS THE U.S. AND WE KNOW THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO RAISE AWARENESS AMONG OTHER PUBLIC AND NONPROFIT SECTORS THAT LIBRARIES MAKE POWERFUL PARTNERS.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING WITH US HERE TODAY AND FOR YOUR WORK FOR AND WITH COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY EVERY DAY.
THANK YOU.
>> THANKS.
THANKS, LARRA.
SO WE'RE GOING TO DIG INTO HOW WE CONDUCTED THIS RESEARCH, A LITTLE BIT AROUND THE METHODOLOGY AND I'M VERY EXCITED BECAUSE YESTERDAY, WE RELEASED ALL OF THE PROJECT CASE STUDIES, SO THERE ARE A TOTAL OF EIGHT THAT ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO REVIEW AND WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THOSE AND THE EXAMPLES THAT WE COLLECTED FROM THOSE LIBRARIES AS WE GO THROUGH THE SESSION TODAY AND THERE'S ALSO A SUMMARY REPORT THAT LOOKS AT ACROSS THE EIGHT LOCATIONS THAT WE WENT TO, WHAT COMMON THEMES DID WE FIND?
SO WE HAVE THREE OVERARCH-ING GOALS TO THIS IMLS-FUNDED GRANT PROJECT AND THE FIRST WAS TO HELP PUBLIC LIBRARY DIRECTORS AND STAFF MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT STRATEGIES, POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES.
A HUGE REASON THAT SO MANY OF YOU ARE HERE TODAY IS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT YOUR COLLEAGUES AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE DOING, AND THAT IS A BIG PART OF THE WORK THAT WE DO EVERY DAY, BOTH AT WEBJUNCTION AND AT PLA IS TRYING TO AMPLIFY THE STORIES AND THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO.
SECOND IS THAT, DESPITE NEWS MEDIA STORIES ABOUT LIBRARIES AND OPIOIDS, LIBRARIES ARE STILL LARGELY OVERLOOKED WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANIZING CITYWIDE RESPONSES TO THIS ISSUE SO WE'RE LOOKING TO RAISE AWARENESS AMONG KEY SECTORS OUTSIDE OF LIBRARIES, ORGANIZATIONS WHO MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN FORMULATING STRATEGIES AND INTERVENTIONS THAT PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARE A KEY LOCAL PARTNER.
AND THEN FINALLY, FOR ISSUES THAT ARE AS BROAD AND COMPLEX AS THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC, A LIBRARY TRYING TO GO IT ALONE CAN DEFINITELY WORK IN SOME CASES BUT THE PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION CAN REALLY HELP TO EXTEND CAPACITY AND RESOURCES AND PROVIDE STRATEGIES TO HELP LIBRARIES MOVE FORWARD AND DEPEND ON SOME OF THE EXPERTISE THAT WE HAVE SEEN WITH THE PARTNERS THAT LIBRARIES ARE WORKING WITH AND THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE PARTNERSHIPS AND INFRASTRUCTURE CAN REALLY HELP TO SUPPORT CHANGE.
WE'VE HAD FOUR KEY ACTIVITIES FOR THIS PROJECT.
THE FIRST IS THE CASE STUDY RESEARCH AND YOU CAN SEE A LINK IN THE CHAT NOW ABOUT THE OUTCOMES FOR THE SUMMARY REPORT THAT HAVE JUST BEEN PUBLISHED.
STARTING TOMORROW, WE'RE GOING TO BE ENGAGING IN SOME CROSS SECTOR DISCUSSIONS AND WE'RE LOOKING TO ENGAGE PEOPLE FROM NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, FROM NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS, LIKE THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES, AND BRINGING THOSE FOLKS TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN ALL CAPITALIZE ON CROSS-SECTOR ENGAGEMENT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM THESE PARTICIPANTS ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEARN FROM THE CASE STUDIES AND SUMMARY REPORT RESEARCH, AND THEN TURN ALL OF THAT INTO A CALL TO ACTION REPORT THAT WILL COME OUT IN EARLY 2020 AND WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN ENCOURAGE LIBRARIES TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP OR TO CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING SOME TYPE OF OPIOID RESPONSE PROGRAMMING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
AND THEN ACROSS THE PROJECT WE HAVE DISSEMINATION TO THE FIELD.
THAT'S THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TODAY AND THROUGH PUBLICIZING THE AVAILABILITY OF THE SUMMARY REPORT AND THE RESEARCH IS MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
SO AS WE STARTED TO LOOK AT THE RESEARCH AND EXPLORE THE FINDINGS, I WANTED TO SHARE ONE OF THE QUOTES THAT AN INTERVIEWEE STATED WHILE WE WERE OUT CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH, AND THAT IS THAT AT THE CORE OF THIS PROBLEM IS THE FACT THAT PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES ARE DYING FROM OPIOID OVERDOSES.
AND THAT CONCERN IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE HEARD AS WE EMBARKED ON THIS JOURNEY AND HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH IS THAT THERE'S NOT ONLY ABOUT INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED, BUT THEIR FAMILY AND THEIR FRIENDS, THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THIS PERSON, WHO MAY HAVE DIED FROM AN OVERDOSE AND THAT IT REALLY EMPHASIZES THAT THIS IS A COMMUNITY-WIDE PROGRAM AND IT REQUIRES A COMMUNITY-WIDE RESPONSE THAT LIBRARIES CAN BE PART OF.
I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE, LIN -- LYNN, AND SHE'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE CASE STUDY RESEARCH.
AND LYNN, YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO UNMUTE YOUR MICROPHONE.
>> THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, KENDRA AND ALSO, LARRA, FOR PROVIDING THIS NICE OVERVIEW.
AND WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT NOW, AS KENDRA SAID, IS THE METHODOLOGY.
AND WE DECIDED TO ACTUALLY USE CASE STUDIES AND WE'VE COMPLETED ALL OF THE DATA COLLECTION AND WE'VE PUBLISHED THE CASE STUDIES AND SUMMARY FINDINGS AS KENDRA SAID.
AND THE REASON THAT WE DECIDED TO GO WITH THE CASE STUDY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY WAS BECAUSE IT ALLOWED US TO GATHER IN-DEPTH INFORMATION TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AN UNKNOWN OR POORLY UNDERSTOOD SITUATION.
AND FOR THIS PROJECT, WE EXPLORED THE LOCAL CONDITIONS THAT LED TO THE LIBRARY RESPONDING TO THE OPIOID CRISIS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
HOW AND WITH WHOM THE RESPONSE HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED, WHAT THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN, AND HOW THOSE HAVE BEEN MEASURED, WHAT HAVE BEEN THE EXPERIENCES ALONG THE WAY AND WHAT CHALLENGES, NEEDS, AND OPPORTUNITIES REMAIN?
NOW, THERE WERE A RANGE OF FACTORS THAT WE USED TO DETERMINE WHICH LIBRARIES TO INCLUDE IN THIS PROJECT, AND THERE ARE MANY LIBRARIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT ARE DOING SOME FORM OF OPIOID-RELATED PROGRAMMING, BUT WE WERE LOOKING FOR DIVERSITY, NOT ONLY IN THE TYPES OF PROGRAMMING BUT ALSO IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT THE LIBRARIES SERVE.
SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE KEY DATA POINTS THAT WE LOOKED AT, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'LL SEE HERE -- SORRY, THANK YOU, KENDRA.
SO WE HAVE THE DIVERSITY OF COMMUNITY SIZE.
SO THE REGION, THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION, THE DEMOGRAPHICS.
WE HAVE THE DIVERSITY OF THE SERVICE POPULATION SIZE.
SO WITH THE LIBRARIES INCLUDED IN OUR CASE STUDIES, THEY SERVED A COMMUNITY OF A LITTLE MORE THAN 16,000 TO MORE THAN 800,000 PEOPLE.
SO THEY REPRESENT A VERY LARGE RANGE.
THAT MEANS THAT THEY ALSO HAD A RANGE OF DIFFERENT RESOURCES, DIFFERENT STAFF, DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.
SO YOU'LL SEE HERE IN THIS MAP, THAT WE HAD THESE INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDY SITES.
SO EVERETT, WASHINGTON, SALT LAKE, UTAH, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA; PEORIA, ILLINOIS; KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN; BLOUNT COUNTY, TENNESSEE; TWINSBURG, OHIO; AND BARRINGTON, RHODE ISLAND.
YOU'LL NOTICE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS MAP THAT THERE IS A CLUSTER OF STATES ON THE MAP, AND THEY INCLUDE ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN, OHIO, AND TENNESSEE.
AND THIS IS PARTLY BECAUSE THESE AREAS HAVE BEEN HEAVILY HIT BY THE CRISIS.
AND AGAIN, WE WANTED TO REPRESENT A VARIETY OF PARTNERSHIPS THAT COME WITH DIFFERENT STRENGTHS AND CAPACITIES.
SO OUR GOAL WAS TO SHOW THAT THIS CAN TAKE MANY DIFFERENT FORMS, AND CAN BE HELPFUL TO LIBRARIES AND COMMUNITIES WITH DIFFERENT NEEDS, AND THERE'S NOT ONE SINGLE WAY TO DO THIS.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO BECAUSE EACH LOCATION IS DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF STAFFING AND PARTNERS, THERE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN NINE INDIVIDUALS TO INTERVIEW AT EACH SITE, BUT WE EXPECTED THIS.
BUT WE DID UP TO NINE SEMISTRUCTURED RECORDED INTERVIEWS, AND THAT MEANS THAT -- SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS, WE HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, BUT WE HAVE PROBES THAT CAN LEAD TO DIFFERENT AREAS, DEPENDENT UPON THE RESPONSES OF THE PERSON BEING INTERVIEWED.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT THESE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE INTERVIEWED, THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, LIBRARY ADMINISTRATOR, MANAGER, LIBRARY FRONT LINE STAFF, LIBRARY BOARD MEMBER, COMMUNITY PARTNER DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY PARTNER FRONTLINE STAFF, AND UP TO THREE COMMUNITY -- UP TO THREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND NEXT SCREEN.
SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.
OBVIOUSLY, THE QUESTIONS WERE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO A COMMUNITY PARTNER VERSUS A COMMUNITY MEMBER OR A LIBRARY BOARD MEMBER.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND WE ALSO INTERVIEWED -- WE ALSO HAD THE DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY AND THEY WERE OUR -- THEY WERE OUR PRE-TEST, AND TODAY ON OUR PANEL, WE DO HAVE MICHELLE JESKE, THE DIRECTOR OF THE DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY WHO WILL BE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THERE AT THE LIBRARY.
AND MICHELLE AND ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE PROGRAM THERE, ALISSA HARDY, HAVE BOTH SERVED ON OUR PROJECT'S STEERING COMMITTEE AND THEY PROVIDED INVALUABLE SUPPORT AS WE NAVIGATED THROUGH THIS PROJECT.
SO WITH THE DATA ANALYSIS -- SO WE COLLECTED THE DATA.
THE INTERVIEWS COULD LAST -- USUALLY ABOUT 45 MINUTES.
SOMETIMES WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THEY WERE SHORTER.
THE INTERVIEWS WERE TRANSCRIBED, AND THEN WE DEVELOPED A CODE BOOK FROM THE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS.
AND SO THE THEMES FOR THE PROJECT EMERGED FROM THE ACTUAL INTERVIEWS.
WE DID NOT ASSUME ANYTHING IN ADVANCE.
AND WE USED A SOFTWARE PROGRAM FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH CALLED ENVIVO FOR ANALYZING THE DATA AND PROVIDING THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE REPORTS.
>> GREAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, LYNN.
SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BACKGROUND ON HOW WE FORMULATED THE RESEARCH AND I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU INTO AN EXPLORATION OF THE TYPES OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT WE FOUND DURING THE RESEARCH, AND I THINK YOU'LL BE REALLY INSPIRED BY SOME OF THESE EXAMPLES.
SO THERE ARE SOME REALLY HIGH-TOUCH RESPONSES THAT CAME OUT OF THE RESEARCH AND THAT INVOLVED TRAINED STAFF AND A DETAILED PARTNERSHIP AND THAT SURFACED WITH SOME OF THE PEER NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS THAT WE SAW, AND THOSE CONNECT PATRONS IN NEED TO INFORMATION AND IDEAS ABOUT SERVICES AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND OFTEN THESE PEER NAVIGATORS COME WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE OR HAVE DEALT WITH THEIR OWN SUBSTANCE MISUSE ISSUE OR AN OVERDOSE IN THE PAST.
BUT THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF LOWER TOUCH EXAMPLES, SUCH AS PROVIDING MEDICATION DISPOSAL BAGS TO PATRONS WHICH CAN BE USED TO SAFELY DISPOSE OF UNUSED OR UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS, SO THAT THEY CAN'T BE ABUSED.
THERE WERE EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMMING THAT CAN FIT ALL KINDS OF COMMUNITIES AND BUDGETS.
FOR EXAMPLE, HOSTING A COMMUNITY READS EVENT, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT SO MANY LIBRARIES ALREADY DO WERE THE -- WHERE EVERYONE READS THE SAME BOOK AND THEN THE LIBRARY HOSTS A DISCUSSION, IS SOMETHING THAT'S JUST VERY SIMILAR ALREADY IN THE SPHERE SO FOCUSING IT ON SOMETHING RELATED TO SUBSTANCE MISUSE, SOMEONE'S EXPERIENCE WITH DEALING WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER IS ONE WAY THAT LIBRARIES CAN HELP TO SUPPORT THEIR COMMUNITY AROUND THIS TOPIC.
AND IT'S ALREADY WELL ALIGNED WITH OTHER PROGRAMMING THAT THE LIBRARY ALREADY OFFERS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZE THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS IS THAT THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL PRESCRIPTION FOR HOW TO HANDLE THIS.
EVERY LIBRARY AND EVERY COMMUNITY HAS DIFFERENT NEEDS.
SO WHAT FITS ONE WILL NOT NECESSARILY WORK IN OTHERS.
AND OCLC AND PLA ARE COMING AWAY FROM THIS RESEARCH EFFORT UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO LET LIBRARIES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES DETERMINE WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM LOCALLY.
AND THAT WE CAN FOCUS ON MAKING SURE YOU ALL HAVE INFORMATION, RESOURCES, AND CAPACITY TO HELP THOSE LIBRARIES MAKE WELL INFORMED DECISIONS.
IT WILL BE GREAT AS WE GO THROUGH SOME OF THESE EXAMPLES IS THAT IF ANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN THIS WORK LOCALLY, PLEASE GO AHEAD AND PUT THOSE IN THE CHAT.
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO SHARE THOSE OUT AS WE CAPTURE THIS AS PART OF THE RECORD FOR TODAY'S EVENT.
SO NOT SURPRISINGLY, NALOXONE CAME UP A LOT.
YOU MAY KNOW THIS AS NARCAN, AND THIS IS AN OPIOID OVERDOSE ANTIDOTE MEDICATION THAT CAN BE PROVIDED TO SOMEONE WHO IS EXPERIENCING AN OPIOID OVERDOSE.
HAD AND WE FOUND THAT THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON INTERVENTIONS THAT LIBRARIES ARE OFFERING, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S THROUGH THE STAFF BEING TRAINED OR THE PUBLIC.
SO COMBINED IT WAS THE MOST COMMON THING THAT CAME UP IN THE LIBRARY.
PEORIA, ILLINOIS, PROVIDES OVERDOSE RESCUE KITS, WHICH INCLUDE ACCESS TO NALOXONE AS WELL AS INFORMATION ON WHAT TO DO NEXT.
THIS IS A PICTURE FROM THE SALT LAKE COUNTY LIBRARY IN UTAH, AND THEIR ENTIRE CHECKOUT DESK WAS COVERED IN THIS DISPLAY DEMONSTRATING -- PROVIDING EXAMPLES OF WHAT OPIOIDS LOOK LIKE AND REINFORCING THE POINT THAT PHYSICAL DEPENDENCY TO AN OPIOID CAN START IN JUST SEVEN DAYS AND THIS WAS TO HELP COMMUNITY MEMBERS RECOGNIZE WHAT AN OPIOID LOOKS LIKE AND INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT POTENTIAL HAZARDS.
THIS DISPLAY HAS SPARKED ALL KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS WITH PATRONS, AS WELL AS WITH FAMILIES.
WHEN I WAS THERE, DOING INTERVIEWS, THE STAFF NOTED THAT CHILDREN HAD MENTIONED ABOUT THE CANDY IN THE PICTURE AND SO IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT NOT EVERYTHING IS CANDY, AND THAT WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT WE PUT IN OUR MOUTH BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSES HAVE HAPPENED WHEN PILLS GET LOOSE, SO TALKING TO KIDS ABOUT BEING SAFE ABOUT WHAT THEY EAT.
THE LIBRARY ALSO HAS A LARGE DISPLAY IN THE ENTRYWAY WHICH IS A DEPICTION OF 7,000 PRESCRIPTION PILL BOTTLES HANGING FROM THE CEILING OF THE LIBRARY AND THIS IS TO REPRESENT THE 7,000 PRESCRIPTIONS FOR OPIOIDS THAT ARE FILLED EVERY DAY IN THIS STATE.
SO THIS IS A VERY IMPACTFUL THING TO SEE WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE LIBRARY AND JUST HANGING OVERHEAD ARE THE PILL BOTTLES, AND THEN THEY HAVE SIGNAGE AROUND INDICATING WHAT THOSE PILL BOTTLES REPRESENT AND A HUGE PART OF THIS CAMPAIGN, WHICH IS CALLED USE ONLY AS DIRECTED IS TO ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUALS TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR DOCTORS ABOUT ALTERNATE FORMS OF TREATMENT INSTEAD OF USING AN OPIOID AND TO USE THINGS, SUCH AS TYLENOL OR IBUPROFEN THAT MAY NOT CAUSE A PHYSICAL DEPENDENCY.
THIS WAS A FANTASTIC PROGRAM AT THE NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC LIBRARY.
I MENTIONED THAT NALOXONE TRAINING WAS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON THINGS THAT WE SAW, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS IN NEW ORLEANS WAS REALLY INTERESTING.
WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IS TO COMBINE NALOXONE TRAINING ALONG WITH CPR AND ANOTHER PROGRAM CALLED STOP BLEED, AND THEY COMBINE THAT AND CALL IT BYSTANDER TRAINING.
WHAT CAN WE AS BYSTANDERS IN THE COMMUNITY DO TO HELP COMBAT OR ASSIST OTHERS WHO MIGHT BE IN NEED?
AND SO THIS WAS A TRAM THAT THEY PARTNER ON WITH THE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT PROVIDES ALL OF THE TRAINERS FOR THE EVENTS AND BOTH ORGANIZATIONS HELP TO PROMOTE THE TRAINING.
THIS IS A FANTASTIC PROGRAM AT THE BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY AND THE LIBRARY THERE HAS PARTNERED WITH THEIR LOCAL RECOVERY COURT, OFFERING LIFE SKILLS TRAINING FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THE RECOVERY PROGRAM SO THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE ARRESTED FOR DRUG OFFENSES AND ARE NOW -- HAVE BEEN RELEASED AND ARE GOING THROUGH A TRAINING PROGRAM TO HELP PREVENT RECIDIVISM AND TO HELP PROVIDE TREATMENT TO INDIVIDUALS AND THIS WAS AN AMAZING PARTNERSHIP THAT REALLY CAME OUT OF THE LIBRARY, SPEAKING WITH THE FOLKS AT RECOVERY COURT AND SAYING WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP YOU?
AND THIS SURFACED AS A MAJOR NEED FOR THE RECOVERY COURT AND SO THE PARTICIPANTS COME AND THEY MEET AT THE LIBRARY EVERY WEEK.
THEY TAKE A SERIES OF COURSES DESIGNED TO HELP THEM BECOME MORE SELF-SUFFICIENT AND TO LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFE.
THESE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS IMAGE ARE WORKING ON THEIR COOKING MODULE AND SO THEY GO SHOPPING FOR INGREDIENTS AND THEY PREPARE A MEAL AND AGAIN, THEY'RE PARTNERING WITH THE RECOVERY COURT -- OR WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ON SOME OF THESE TO HELP BRING THE EXPERTISE OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS INTO THEIR WORK.
ANOTHER LOW TOUCH EXAMPLE OF HOW LIBRARIES ARE WORKING WITH PARTNERS IS IN TWINSBURG, OHIO.
AND THIS IS THROUGH THE USE OF DETERRA DRUG DEACTIVATION BAGS.
AND WHAT THESE ARE IS YOU CAN PICK UP A BAG, YOU PUT ANY UNUSED, UNWANTED MEDICATIONS IN THE BAG, YOU FILL IT WITH WATER AND SEAL IT AND THE MEDICATIONS BECOME UNUSABLE AND THEY CAN GO INTO THE GARBAGE WITHOUT RISK OF SOMEONE MISUSING THEM.
AND SO THIS IDEA OF GETTING MATERIALS OR POTENTIALLY HARMFUL MATERIALS OUT OF PUBLIC USE IS REALLY A GREAT WAY TO HAVE A LOW TOUCH, RIGHT?
YOU JUST DISTRIBUTE THE BAGS, YOU PROVIDE SOME EXAMPLES.
SALT LAKE COUNTY ALSO PROMOTES DRUG TAKEBACK DAYS AND DISPOSAL OPTIONS AND THEY SHARE THE STATISTIC THERE THAT IN UTAH, 74% OF UTAHANS WITHAN OPIOID ADDICTION GET THEM FROM A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER.
THOSE UNUSED MEDICATIONS THAT ARE IN OUR MEDICINE CABINETS OR IN OUR DRAWERS CAN HAVE A REAL IMPACT ON INDIVIDUALS.
AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO LYNN TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE FINDINGS AND THE RESEARCH.
LYNN, YOUR MICROPHONE IS MUTED.
YOU'LL WANT TO UNMUTE.
>> I'M SORRY, EVERYONE.
I'M HAVING DIFFICULTY AS YOU CAN TELL WITH SOME OF MY EQUIPMENT.
SO I DO APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.
BUT BEAR WITH ME.
AND SO THANK YOU AGAIN, KENDRA FOR PROVIDING A LOT OF THESE GREAT EXAMPLES AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN ONE OF I THINK THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY CAREER AND AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, THIS WAS -- IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL IN SOME WAYS, IN MANY WAYS.
AND AS YOU CAN TELL FROM THE TOPICS AND THE EXAMPLES THAT KENDRA JUST DISCUSSED, THE WORK THAT WAS DONE BY LIBRARIES, THEIR PARTNERS, REALLY IDENTIFIED SOME IMPORTANT KEY OUTPUTS AND THE MOST COMMONLY MENTIONED OUTPUT WAS AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO THESE RESOURCES INCLUDED THINGS LIKE NALOXONE KITS, DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS FOR DISCUSSIONS, DETERRA BAGS.
OTHER KEY OUTPUTS WERE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PARTNERSHIPS.
THAT IS REACHING OTHER LIBRARIES AND COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS, AND ALSO ADDRESSING THAT STIGMA.
THAT CAME UP A LOT, THE WHOLE IDEA OF THE STIGMA.
I THINK HAVING THESE EXAMPLES OF VOTES REALLY SAYS IT ALL.
BECAUSE WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT HAVING THE QUOTES FROM THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS I THINK REALLY SENDS THE MESSAGE HOME.
AND WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS QUOTE FROM A COMMUNITY PARTNER WAS THAT THEY WERE SO GRATEFUL TO THE LIBRARIES FOR THEIR WILLINGNESS TO DO THIS BECAUSE IT IS VERY SENSITIVE MESSAGING AND CULTURALLY IT HAS A LOT OF STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH IT AND A LOT OF MISINFORMATION.
AND SO THE LIBRARY'S WILLINGNESS TO ADDRESS THIS AND TO BECOME AMBASSADORS AND TO HELP ELIMINATE SOME OF THAT MISINFORMATION IS A HUGE BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO AGAIN, THIS WHOLE IDEA OF STIGMA.
INTERVIEWEES AT SIX OF THE RESEARCH LOCATIONS SHARED HOW THE STRONG STIGMA AROUND SUBSTANCE MISUSE IN THE COMMUNITY IMPACTED THEIR WORK.
AND THE LIBRARIES AND THEIR PARTNERS EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT HOW PATRONS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER WOULD BE RECEIVED BY OTHER PATRONS.
AND SEVERAL LIBRARY STAFF INTERVIEWEES SHARED THAT PATRONS WERE CONCERNED THAT THE LIBRARY MAY NO LONGER BE SAFE BECAUSE THE NEW PROGRAMMING SERVED POPULATIONS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER.
SO AS A RESULT OF THIS, SOME LIBRARIES INTENTIONALLY REFRAMED THEIR WORK FROM OPIOID OVERDOSE TO MISUSE PREVENTION, TO WELLNESS WITH A GOAL OF ENCOURAGING MORE ATTENDANCE AND OTHERS DID NOT ADVERTISE THE PROGRAMMING BROADLY TO THE PUBLIC TO KEEP POTENTIAL PUSHBACK TO A MINIMUM.
AND SO WE DO HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY, BOTH WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND AS INDIVIDUALS TO CHANGE HOW WE TALK ABOUT SUBSTANCE MISUSE.
ONE WAY IS THROUGH THE LANGUAGE THAT WE USE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE SERVICES AND THE NEED FOR RESPONSE EFFORTS.
THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THIS CRISIS FROM HOW DEPENDENCY STARTS TO HOW WE PROVIDE ACCESS TO INFORMATION, TO HOW WE TREAT THOSE SEEKING INFORMATION OR TREATMENT TO HOW WE TREAT AND SUPPORT FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE FACING THE SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND THE STIGMA IS REAL AND WE REALLY CAN DO BETTER AND WE MUST DO BETTER.
YOU CAN SEE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY CHALLENGE IS FUNDING.
AND I'M SURE THAT'S NO BIG SURPRISE.
I HAVE NEVER TALKED TO ANYONE IN ANY SITUATION WHERE HE OR SHE HAS SAID THAT WE HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES WE NEED AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE SECOND MAJOR CONCERNS THAT WAS IDENTIFIED.
AND BASICALLY, IT WAS BROUGHT UP NOT JUST BY LIBRARIES BUT BY THEIR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS.
AND MANY OF THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS BROUGHT UP THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO HIRE MORE STAFF TO DEDICATE TOWARDS THOSE DIRECT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATIONS AND PROMOTION AND TO BUY MORE RESOURCES, LIKE NALOXONE KITS AND DETERRA BAGS IN ORDER TO DISTRIBUTE THESE TO THE PUBLIC.
LIBRARY INTERVIEWEES ALSO WOULD WELCOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR MORE PROGRAMMING AND SPEAKERS.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ADDRESSING FUNDING AS A CAPACITY ISSUE BECAUSE IF YOU INCREASE OR SUPPLEMENT CAPACITY, WE MAY BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE MORE.
AN INCREASE IN CAPACITY IS SOMETHING THAT CAN COME WITH PARTNERSHIPS, WHICH IS THE CORE -- ONE OF THE CORE CRITERIA FOR THIS PROJECT, SO WHEN ORGANIZATIONS PAIR TOGETHER TO WORK ON ISSUES LIKE THE OPIOID CRISIS, WE CAN BRING OUR RESOURCES TOGETHER TO MAKE MORE OF AN IMPACT.
NEXT, THANK YOU.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME UP AND THIS IS PROBABLY NO SURPRISE TO MANY OF YOU IS THAT NEED FOR PRIVACY.
DURING MY CAREER AS A RESEARCH SCIENTIST I MUST HAVE INTERVIEWED MORE THAN 2,000 INDIVIDUALS AND PRIVACY HAS NEVER BEEN ARTICULATED AS MUCH AS IN THIS PROJECT.
AND SO THESE ARE JUST A FEW QUOTES.
ONE WAS FROM A COMMUNITY PARTNER DIRECTOR WHO SAID THAT OPIOID ADDICTS ARE -- OR PEOPLE ADDICTED TO OPIOIDS ARE LESS LIKELY TO TALK ABOUT THAT THAN PEOPLE WHO HAVE OTHER ADDICTIONS TO OTHER SUBSTANCES.
SO AGAIN, IT'S THAT WHOLE PERCEPTION OF THIS -- THIS AREA.
THERE'S -- THIS IS FROM A COMMUNITY PARTNER FRONTLINE STAFF.
THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE VERY GUARDED.
SO JUST ASK SOMETHING LIKE WHAT'S YOUR NAME?
AND THEY SEE ME WRITE THAT DOWN, I COULD LOSE TRUST RIGHT THERE.
SO THE STIGMA IS STILL THERE.
THE INTERVIEWEES REALLY INDICATED THAT CONFIDENTIALITY IS CRITICAL TO BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, WHICH HAS MADE CAPTURING ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF THEIR EFFORTS VERY DIFFICULT.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO THAT ASSESSMENT EVALUATION, IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT.
THAT'S FINE.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS A QUOTE FROM A COMMUNITY MEMBER WHO RECEIVED TRAINING ON HOW TO ADMINISTER NALOXONE, WHICH CAN REVERSE AN OPIOID OVERDOSE.
AND THIS PERCEIVED SENSE OF BEING BETTER PREPARED TO HELP SOMEONE IS HUGE, KNOWING THAT NALOXONE IS AVAILABLE AND HOW TO USE IT CAN LEAD TO HELPING SOMEONE SURVIVE AN OVERDOSE.
NEXT SCREEN, PLEASE.
AND WE WILL -- I WILL TURN THIS BACK OVER TO KENDRA.
>> THANKS, LYNN.
SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A GREAT RANGE OF INTERVENTIONS THAT WE FOUND AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT OTHER LIBRARIES MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN, AND IT'S GREAT TO SEE SOME OF YOU SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THE CHAT AND PROGRAMS THAT YOU'VE BEEN INTERESTED IN OR THAT YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN OFFERING SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT LYNN MENTIONED EARLIER IS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PRE-TEST THE PROTOCOL FOR THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IN DENVER, COLORADO.
MICHELLE JESKE IS A MEMBER OF OUR STEERING COMMITTEE, BUT THEY'VE ALSO BEEN REALLY ENGAGED IN THIS WORK IN HELPING TO SUPPORT THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGH THIS CRISIS FOR QUITE A WHILE.
AND WE HAVE BEEN SO IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN AND HOW THEY HAVE DONE IT, WITH COMPASSION, AND WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DENVER IS THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE LIBRARY REALLY TAKING WHAT MARION IS GOING TO SHARE WITH US IN JUST A MINUTE, BUT A COLLECTIVE IMPACT APPROACH IN HOW THEY CAN MEASURE AND LOOK AT THE INTACT -- IMPACT OF THEIR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS, SO MARION, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> HI.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
SO I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT MODEL THAT WE'RE USING IN DENVER, WHICH IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT'S BEING USED ACROSS THE STATE.
SO COLLECTIVE IMPACT MODEL HAS FIVE MAIN COMPONENTS.
IT'S HAVING A COMMON AGENDA, SHARED MEASUREMENT, MUTUALLY REINFORCING ACTIVITIES, CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION AND BACKBONE SUPPORT.
AND WHERE A LOT OF THE WORK THAT I DO NOW LIES IN THAT BACKBONE SUPPORT, THE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT WE WERE THAT NATURAL CONVENER TO BRING FOLKS TOGETHER WHO ARE WORKING ON A BUNCH OF SIMILAR EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL COMMUNICATING AND NOT DUPLICATING EFFORTS.
SO THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN DENVER.
I KNOW IT'S A BIT OF A MESS, BUT WE STRUGGLED A LOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO REALLY MAKE THIS SOMETHING THAT FOLKS COULD VISUALIZE CORRECTLY.
SO OUR GROUP IS CALLED DENVER'S COLLECTIVE IMPACT GROUP TO ADDRESS OPIOIDS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES.
AND IT HAS THREE OVERARCHING GOALS WHICH ARE TO PREVENT SUBSTANCE MISUSE, IMPROVE TREATMENT ACCESS AND RETENTION AND TO REDUCE HARM.
AND THESE EFFORTS WERE LED BY A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
FIRST, WE PULLED TOGETHER CITY AGENCIES TO FIND OUT WHAT WE WERE DOING INTERNALLY AND THIS WORK STARTED IN EARLY -- SPRING OF 2017.
WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT WE WERE DOING ON OUR OWN BEFORE EXPANDING TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON.
SO THAT MEETING HAD ABOUT 40 FOLKS AND WE PULLED TOGETHER ABOUT 100 PEOPLE, EVERYONE FROM FOLKS IN RECOVERY TO POLICE OFFICERS TO TREATMENT PROVIDERS, HARM REDUCTION AGENCIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO YOU CAN SEE HERE IN THE DIAGRAM NOW WHAT WE HAVE -- THE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE OF THIS GROUP IS CHAIRED BY MYSELF, I'M -- I PROVIDE MORE BACKBONE SUPPORT TO THE FOUR ACTION TEAMS THAT WE HAVE WORKING NOW, THE BIG GREEN CIRCLES.
WE HAVE FOUR GROUPS THAT ARE EDUCATION AND PREVENTION, MEDICATION SAFETY AND ALTOS, WHICH IS ALTERNATIVES TO OPIOIDS, A LIVED EXPERIENCE INSIGHT GROUP AND A TREATMENT ON DEMAND GROUP.
AND THESE ARE ALL CHAIRED BY FOLKS OUTSIDE OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WHICH HAS REALLY BEEN HELPFUL FOR US TO GET THAT BUY-IN FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THINGS AND ONE OF THOSE GROUPS, THE LIVED EXPERIENCE GROUP IS CHAIRED BY SOMEONE WHO USED TO BE A PEER NAVIGATOR WITH THE LIBRARY THERE.
IN DENVER.
SO YOU KNOW, WHEN I STARTED THIS WORK IN 2017, I HAD MOVED FROM NEW ORLEANS AND WE FOUND OUT THAT REALLY REALLY -- IN DENVER, THE LIBRARY WAS DOING SO MUCH MORE WORK THAN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WAS IN THIS AREA SO WE ACTUALLY LEARNED A LOT FROM WHAT THE LIBRARY WAS ALREADY DOING IN ORDER TO EXPAND UPON THAT.
SO NOW, THERE ARE CITYWIDE INITIATIVES FOR PEER NAVIGATORS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE PEER NAVIGATORS, WE DIDN'T HAVE NALOXONE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE A LOT OF STRIDES IN OUR WORK BASED OFF WHAT THE LIBRARY IS DOING.
YOU CAN SEE HERE SOME OF THE ALIGNMENT THAT WE HAVE BETWEEN OUR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT AND THE LIBRARIES.
AND THERE WERE SOME COMMENTS EARLIER ABOUT FUNDING AND DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND WE FOUND THAT WHILE WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF GO BACK AND FORTH AND SHARE WITH ONE ANOTHER DIFFERENT RESOURCES, FOR US HAVING THE LIBRARY AS AN ACTUAL PLACE, A MEETING PLACE FOR A LOT OF THESE GROUPS AND FOR OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE FOCUS GROUPS ABOUT MESSAGING FOR FENTANYL EARLY WARNING SYSTEM, THE LIBRARIES HAVE BEEN A WONDERFUL RESOURCE.
PEOPLE AREN'T SCARED TO COME THERE.
THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED TO SIGN IN LIKE A LOT OF OUR BUILDINGS THAT ARE -- THAT HAVE FRONT DESKS WHERE YOU HAVE TO SIGN IN, GET SOMEONE TO BRING YOU UP.
WE REALLY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THESE THINGS ANONYMOUS TO ENGAGE FOLKS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THESE LIFE CHALLENGES.
I THINK ONE OF OUR REALLY BIG SUCCESSES WAS I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS AGO, THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO HAVE NALOXONE IN THE LIBRARIES.
AND YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PICTURE, WE ACTUALLY HAD OUR MAYOR TRAINED ON HOW TO REVERSE OVERDOSES IN THE LIBRARY LAST YEAR FOR OVERDOSES AWARENESS DAY SO THAT WAS REALLY EXCITING FOR US.
AND SO IT'S REALLY BEEN ONE OF THE BEST PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE I THINK IN THE CITY.
SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU ALL.
SO I WILL LET I THINK MICHELLE TAKE IT FROM HERE.
>> ALL RIGHT, HI.
I'M REALLY GLAD TO BE HERE WITH EVERYBODY.
THANK YOU, MARION.
YOU AND YOUR AGENCY HAVE TRULY BEEN A GREAT PARTNER TO THE LIBRARY AND YOU SAW REALLY EARLY ON IN THIS WORK THE VALUE OF COLLABORATING WITH US SO WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT.
OUR PROGRAM REALLY IS ABOUT PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK LIBRARIES ARE ALL ABOUT ANYWAY.
THE FOUNDATION OF OUR RESPONSE SPECIFICALLY TO THE OPIOID CRISIS IS REALLY THE SAME AS THE SUPPORT THAT WE'VE BEEN PROVIDING FOR ALL PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE EXPERIENCING VARIOUS LIFE CHALLENGES.
WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT WHEN OPIOID MISUSE BECAME, YOU KNOW, MORE PRONOUNCED IN OUR COMMUNITY, THAT WE HAD ALREADY DEVELOPED OUR COMMUNITY RESOURCE PROGRAM.
I WILL SAY THAT BECAUSE OF THE, YOU KNOW, NOTORIETY OF THE OPIOID CRISIS AND DEFINITELY AN UPTICK THAT WE SAW IN 2017 IN OPIOID MISUSE HERE IN DENVER, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GROW OUR TEAM.
AND I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I THINK THE VAST MAJORITY OF LIBRARIES PROBABLY ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIRE ONE SOCIAL WORKER, MUCH LESS A WHOLE TEAM, BUT I STILL THINK AND HOPE THAT THERE'S A LOT THAT YOU CAN BENEFIT FROM, FROM OUR EXPERIENCE.
SO OUR COMMUNITY RESOURCE PROGRAM IS REALLY OUR TEAM OF FOUR SOCIAL WORKERS AND SIX PEER NAVIGATORS.
I THINK A COUPLE OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT WHAT A PEER NAVIGATOR IS, BUT JUST TO REINFORCE THAT, THESE ARE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE LIVED EXPERIENCE AND IN OUR CASE THEY WORK ALONGSIDE OUR SOCIAL WORKERS AND THE REST OF THE LIBRARY STAFF.
AND I THINK TO REALLY BRING HOME THE VALUE OF THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE WITH YOU THE COMPILATION OF OUR CURRENT TEAM'S EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS EXPERIENCES OF HOMELESSNESS AND OTHER HOUSING MARGINALIZATION, SUBSTANCE USE RECOVERY, RECOVERING FROM OPIOID OVERDOSE, LIVING WITH A MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS, LIVING WITH PHYSICAL HEALTH ISSUES AND MORE -- AND/OR DISABILITIES, COMING FROM AN IMMIGRANT FAMILY, GROWING UP ON A NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATION, BEING LGBTQ, AN EXPERIENCE LEAVING A VIOLENT RELATIONSHIP, AN EXPERIENCE IN ACCESSING A MULTITUDE OF PUBLIC BENEFITS SO VERY WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCES THAT MATCH UP WITH THINGS THAT WE KNOW PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE EXPERIENCING, AS WELL.
SO WHAT THIS TEAM DOES IS REALLY PROVIDE OUTREACH THROUGHOUT THE LIBRARY LOCATIONS.
WE HAVE 26 BUILDINGS.
A LOT OF THE WORK DOES HAPPEN AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY.
AND THEY ALSO PROVIDE A DROP-IN OFFICE HOURS SO THEY'RE REALLY BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THAT OFTEN LEAD TO CONVERSATIONS WITH THE LIBRARY CUSTOMER ABOUT SOMETHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE IN THEIR LIFE, OR A GOAL THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO ACHIEVE.
AND THIS IS WHERE THE PEER NAVIGATORS REALLY COME IN AND ARE VERY HELPFUL.
THEY CAN GUIDE THE CUSTOMER THROUGH THE STEPS TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS BY UTILIZING THIS PEER OR EMPATHETIC RELATIONSHIP.
SO THAT'S REALLY FOR, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE EXPERIENCING ANY NUMBER OF LIFE CHALLENGES.
SPECIFIC TO THE OPIOID CRISIS, OUR APPROACH REALLY HAS HAD MULTIPLE COMPONENTS.
AND I THINK MARION REALLY TOUCHED ON THE PRIMARY ONE, WHICH IS NOT JUST PARTICIPATING IN, BUT HELPING LEAD THIS COLLECTIVE IMPACT MODEL TO ADDRESS OPIOID AND OTHER SUBSTANCE USE IN DENVER.
WE HAVE ALSO -- THE TEAM HAS BEEN BUILDING LOTS OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARTNERS SO THEY CAN DO WARM HAND-OFFS, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.
SO OUR TEAM MEMBERS ARE HANDING SOMETIMES EVEN WALKING PEOPLE TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO CONNECT THEM WITH SUBSTANCE USE NAVIGATORS, THE TREATMENT ON DEMAND PROGRAM AT ONE OF OUR HOSPITALS, TO SYRINGE ACCESS PROGRAMS TO WOUND CARE CLINICS THAT ARE TRAUMA INFORMED.
AND OTHER OPTIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AND THEN REALLY I WOULD SAY OUR LAST PART OF OUR APPROACH IS THAT WE ARE ONE OF THOSE LIBRARIES THAT HAS BEEN USING NALOXONE OR NARCAN TO REVIVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE OVERDOSED ON AN OPIOID.
I KIND OF NEED TO KNOCK ON WOOD HERE, BUT WE'VE SEEN A REDUCTION IN THAT.
IN TALKING TO OUR TEAM, I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN A REDUCTION IN USE OF OPIOIDS, BUT WE'VE SEEN A REDUCTION IN THE NEED TO REVIVE PEOPLE.
SO IN 2017 WE HAD TO USE NARCAN 14 TIMES AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY.
IN 2018, NINE TIMES AND SO FAR, THIS YEAR, SIX TIMES SO THE TREND LOOKS GOOD, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE MISUSING SUBSTANCES OF ALL SORTS.
WE DO HAVE OVER 500 STAFF TRAINED TO USE THIS AND IT IS AT ALL LOCATIONS.
SO I CAN PROVIDE A LOT OFNICATION, BUT I -- A LOT OF NUMBERS.
THE REAL IMPACT IS WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL AND I GOT A STORY THIS MORNING THAT I WANTED TO SHARE FROM ONE OF OUR SOCIAL WORKERS.
HE SAID A YOUNG MAN CAME INTO OUR OFFICE IN NEED OF EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AFTER THEIR PARTNER WALKED OUT ON THEM.
FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS THIS YOUNG MAN HAD BEEN IN AND OUT OF MOTELS WHILE ENGAGING IN POLYSUBSTANCE MISUSE, METHAMPHETAMINE AND HEROIN.
WE MADE GENERAL SMALL TALK FOR ABOUT AN HOUR WHILE THEY SHARED THE STORY OF THEIR JOURNEY AND HOW THEY CAME TO DENVER.
THROUGH THIS DISCUSSION I LEARNED THAT WE HAD A COMMONALITY IN HIS BEING FROM THE SAME TOWN IN GEORGIA AS MY BROTHER-IN-LAW.
AND THIS ONE SIMPLE HUMAN CONNECTION LED TO A DISCUSSION ABOUT SOBRIETY.
ULTIMATELY, THIS DISCUSSION LED TO A DESIRE TO ENTER INTO TREATMENT, BUT ALSO A HESITANCY TO WALK ALONE TO THE FACILITY.
THEREFORE, I OFFERED TO WALK THIS YOUNG MAN TO DENVER CARES, AND HE OBLIGED.
AFTER ENJOYING A WALK IN THE SUN AND A A FEW LAUGHS, WE MADE IT THERE, BUT HE HAD ONE LAST REQUEST, WHICH WAS TO USE MY CELL PHONE TO CALL HIS MOTHER IN GEORGIA.
WHEN HE CALLED AND SHE PICKED UP, HE SAID THROUGH TEARS, MAMA, I'M GOING INTO TREATMENT.
I TURNED TO WALK BACK TO THE LIBRARY AFTER HE GRACIOUSLY SHOOK MY HAND BEFORE ENTERING THE FACILITY.
SO IT'S REALLY THESE KINDS OF STORIES THAT GIVE ME HOPE AND KIND OF BRING HOME THAT I THINK OUR TEAM IS DOING A WHOLE HOST OF GOOD IN THE COMMUNITY.
THIS LAST PICTURE HERE IS THE NIGHT THAT WE WON AN AWARD WITHIN OUR CITY FOR THE WORK THAT THIS TEAM HAS BEEN DOING.
SO NOW, I'M GOING TO PASS IT BACK AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AT THE END OR YOU HAVE MY E-MAIL ADDRESS HERE OFFLINE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, MICHELLE.
AND ESPECIALLY FOR SHARING THAT STORY.
I CAN SAY THAT AFTER HAVING GONE ON SITE AND CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS AT LIBRARIES, I WAS IN TEARS MORE THAN ONCE HEARING NOT JUST THE STORIES OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT I WAS SPEAKING TO WHO WERE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT THEIR TRUE APPRECIATION FOR THE ROLE THAT THE LIBRARY WAS PLAYING AND THE HELP THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO GET THERE.
AND THIS IS NOT -- I AM NOT OVERSTATING IT.
THESE PEOPLE WERE TRULY APPRECIATIVE AND IT WAS MAKING A REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIVES.
AND STORIES LIKE THE ONE YOU JUST SHARED AND THAT I HEARD WHILE DOING THESE INTERVIEWS WERE TRULY IMPACTFUL, SO FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ARE DOING THIS WORK OR CONSIDERING DOING THIS WORK.
PLEASE KNOW THAT IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE THAT PEOPLE NEED WHAT YOU ARE PROVIDING ACCESS TO, AND THAT WE CAN HELP BY MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE WHAT THEY NEED.
>> SO THERE IS MUCH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT AVAILABLE AND I WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO GET INTO SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
ONE QUESTION THAT CAME UP IN THE CHAT WAS I'M A SMALL LIBRARY WITH TWO PEOPLE.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
AND TO BE REALISTIC, MOST OF THE LIBRARIES IN THE UNITED STATES ARE VERY SMALL.
LIKE WE SERVE COMMUNITIES OF FEWER THAN 25,000 PEOPLE.
STAFF MAY BE VERY LIMITED.
AND SO YOU ARE WORKING WITH A LOT OF RESTRAINTS.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS A GREAT FIRST STEP AND REALLY COMES OUT OF SOME OF THIS WORK IS REACHING OUT TO POTENTIAL PARTNERS, IF YOU ARE PART OF THE COUNTY, A LARGER CITY, EVEN YOUR STATE, IS CALLING THOSE FOLKS AND ASKING WHAT THEY HAVE AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT.
THERE ARE ALSO OTHER NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR YOU.
SO DON'T HESITATE TO MAKE THAT CALL AND ASK PEOPLE WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT I COULD SHARE THROUGH MY LIBRARY.
ONE OF THE OTHER SUGGESTIONS THAT I PUT INTO CHAT WAS MAKING SURE THAT YOU PUT MATERIALS OUT THERE, TO MAKE IT OBVIOUS THAT YOU HAVE THINGS TO HELP PEOPLE ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.
WHETHER IT'S BOOKS, ACCESS TO ONLINE RESOURCES, PROMOTING.
A LOT OF STATES HAVE A HOTLINE FOR SEEKING HELP ON AN OVERDOSE OR FOR GETTING SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENTS, MAKING SURE THAT THAT NUMBER IS VISIBLE FOR PEOPLE, SO THAT IF THEY'RE WALKING BY, IT CAN CATCH THEIR EYE.
MAYBE IT'S FOR THEM, MAYBE IT'S FOR SOMEONE ELSE, BUT SEEING THAT THAT TYPE OF INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE CAN BE REALLY HELPFUL.
SO I'M GOING TO GO AND LOOK THROUGH A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE IN THE CHAT.
SOMEONE JUST ASKING ABOUT ISSUES WITH BATHROOMS AND PEOPLE USING THEM FOR SUBSTANCE MISUSE.
AND WE DID HEAR FROM INDIVIDUALS IN THIS RESEARCH, SO THE EVERETT PUBLIC LIBRARY IN WASHINGTON STATE, THEY DID HAVE TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO THEIR RESTROOMS AND THEY DID IT TO INCREASE VISIBILITY, SO THEY LOWERED THE STALL DOORS A LITTLE BIT, YOU STILL HAVE PLENTY OF PRIVACY, BUT THEY LOWERED THE STALL DOORS AND THEY ALSO PUT A WINDOW INTO THE MAIN BATHROOM DOOR, GOING INTO THE RESTROOM, SO THAT IT WAS VERY CLEAR IF SOMEONE WAS IN THERE AND THEY NEEDED HELP OR ASSISTANCE, IF SOMEONE WAS WALKING BY.
SO THERE ARE CHANGES LIKE THAT, THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE MAKING, PHYSICAL CHANGES.
A LOT OF LIBRARIES ARE ALSO ADDING SHARP CONTAINERS TO THEIR RESTROOMS AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT SERVES MULTIPLE PURPOSES.
THERE ARE NON-ILLEGAL REASONS WHY INDIVIDUALS NEED TO PROVIDE THEMSELVES WITH AN INJECTION AND PROVIDING A SAFE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO DISPOSE OF THOSE MATERIALS, YOU KNOW, SERVES MULTIPLE PURPOSES.
IT'S CERTAINLY BETTER THAN FINDING A LOOSE NEEDLE.
SO PROVIDING A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO SAFELY DISPOSE OF THOSE MATERIALS IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN CONSIDERED.
JENNIFER, ARE YOU NOTICING OTHER QUESTIONS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO ASK EVERYONE OR OTHER PANELISTS?
>> THERE WERE A FEW QUESTIONS EARLIER ON.
I SAW -- SOMEONE SAID I WORK IN A SMALL RURAL LIBRARY IN PENNSYLVANIA.
WE HAVE TWO FULL-TIME STAFF.
WHERE DO YOU SUGGEST WE START?
AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GREAT REALITY FOR MANY PEOPLE I KNOW IN SMALLER OR RURAL COMMUNITIES SO MAYBE SHARE A FEW IDEAS FOR THOSE FOLKS?
>> SO I DEFINITELY THINK THAT THE EXAMPLES OF CALLING A LOCAL PARTNER AND ASKING WHAT THEY MAY HAVE AVAILABLE AND JUST HAVING THE CONVERSATION.
IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THEY DON'T KNOW THAT YOU COULD BE A RESOURCE.
REACHING OUT TO THEM, MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE A DISPLAY THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE OR HIGHLIGHTING THE COLLECTION IN SOME WAY THAT TALKS ABOUT HEALTH AND IT DOESN'T -- IF YOU THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF STIGMA IN YOUR COMMUNITY AROUND THE ISSUE OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE, YOU CAN ENCOMPASS THIS AROUND HEALTH BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT HEALTH.
IT'S ABOUT BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES, SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHO ARE SICK AND NEED TREATMENT SO THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO CONSIDER THAT.
AND MICHELLE, I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN WEIGH IN ON THIS QUESTION AROUND PUBLIC RELATIONS IN A SMALL TOWN AND THE LIBRARY IS BEING ACCUSED OF ENABLING OR BEING POSITIONED AS ENABLING SUBSTANCE MISUSE.
THEY KEEP REPEATING ISSUES AROUND INCLUSIVENESS BUT IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO LIBRARIES WHO ARE TRYING TO LOOK AT THE P.R. ISSUE AND RESPOND?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS A CONTINUAL CHALLENGE.
I THINK THAT GETTING OUT AHEAD OF ANY INCIDENTS HAPPENING IS A GOOD IDEA.
WE WERE REALLY LUCKY THAT WE WERE PROACTIVE, GOT NARCAN, ACTUALLY HAD A LOT OF VERY POSITIVE NEWS STORIES ABOUT THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY AROUND OPIOIDS AND HOW THE LIBRARY WAS RESPONDING WELL AHEAD OF SOME NEGATIVE PRESS THAT CAME OUT.
SO I THINK THERE'S THE ABILITY TO PITCH SOME STORIES ABOUT INCLUSIVITY AND ABOUT HOW THIS PARTICULAR CHALLENGE HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THINGS HAPPENING IN SOCIETY.
THAT'S HELPFUL.
I THINK SIMILARLY, GETTING TO TALK TO YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, YOUR BOARDS, ANY OTHER PROMINENT STAKEHOLDERS AND BEING HONEST AND TRANSPARENT ON THE FRONT END BEFORE A GOTCHA TYPE JOURNALIST GETS INVOLVED IS REALLY HELPFUL.
WE ALSO TALK A LOT ABOUT OUR LIBRARY USE POLICY.
WE TALK ABOUT BEING A WELCOMING PLACE, THAT EVERYBODY IS WELCOME HERE, AND THAT WE DO HAVE A LIBRARY USE POLICY THAT DOES PROHIBIT INJECTION OF DRUGS ALONG WITH A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER BEHAVIORS, SO WE REALLY TRY TO TALK ABOUT WELCOMING PEOPLE AND NOT ALLOWING BEHAVIORS.
AND I THINK THAT'S A MESSAGE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO DRIVE HOME.
IN TALKING WITH STAFF AND ALSO THE COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S HOW WE'VE APPROACHED IT.
>> THAT'S GREAT, THANKS, MICHELLE.
THERE IS A BIT OF CHAT GOING ON AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE LAWS, GOOD SAMARITAN LAWS THAT CAN PROTECT AN INDIVIDUAL IF YOU ADMINISTER NALOXONE, FOR EXAMPLE, AND HOW THAT MIGHT WORK.
I DO ENCOURAGE YOU TO REACH OUT AND GET THIS ANSWER LOCALLY.
AT THE NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC LIBRARY, ONE OF OUR CASE STUDY SITES, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID.
THEY DECIDED THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THEY WANTED TO PURSUE WAS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE NALOXONE TRAINING SO THEY REACHED OUT AS A CITY ORGANIZATION.
THEY REACHED OUT TO THE CITY ATTORNEY AND ASKED FOR HELP IN UNDERSTANDING THEIR -- WHAT THEIR ROLE -- AND IF THEY WERE COVERED BY GOOD SAMARITAN LAWS AND THEY WERE SO THEY WERE ABLE TO REASSURE BOTH THEIR BOARD AND THE LIBRARY STAFF AS THEY MOVED INTO THAT AROUND WHAT THE GOOD SAMARITAN LAWS.
IN MICHIGAN, THE KALAMAZOO PUBLIC LIBRARY SHARED WITH US THAT THAT CHANGE HAD TO COME IN MICHIGAN SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT JUST HAPPENED THIS YEAR, THAT THE LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE GROUP ACTUALLY SOUGHT THAT CHANGE WITHIN THE STATE TO MAKE SURE LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY STAFF WERE GOING TO BE COVERED UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF GOOD SAMARITAN LAWS.
SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK THAT OUT LOCALLY.
BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE PROTECTED.
AND IT REALLY IS AN IMPORTANT THING TO LOOK INTO AND UNDERSTAND, AND I THINK BY HAVING THAT INFORMATION, YOU CAN HELP A LOT WITH MAKING PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE, THE ISSUE AROUND STIGMA WITH STAFF HAS COME UP, AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE HAVE FOUND IN THE RESEARCH IN TALKING TO FOLKS IS THAT ALMOST EVERY LIBRARY THAT WE TALK TO WHO PROVIDED TRAINING TO THE STAFF DID SO ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS SO THE STAFF WENT THROUGH THE TRAINING, BUT THEY WERE NOT REQUIRED TO DO IT, ESPECIALLY IF IT WAS ADMINISTERING NALOXONE, BUT WHAT PEOPLE SHARED WITH US WAS THAT THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR ABOUT GOING THROUGH THE TRAINING FROM OTHER PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED ENCOURAGED PEOPLE AT A LATER DATE TO TAKE ACTION AND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TRAINING NEXT.
SO AS WE CLOSE, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE QUOTES THAT CAME FROM OUR INTERVIEWS AND THAT IS TO BE OPEN TO BEING HUMAN BECAUSE THIS IS A PERSON AND THEY ARE SUFFERING AND I GUARANTEE THERE'S A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THEM THAT ARE SUFFERING, TOO.
IT'S SOMETIMES HARD TO SEE WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH IT IN THE MOMENT, BUT IT'S REAL.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.
PLEASE CHECK OUT THE RESOURCES.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
WE APPRECIATE THE FUNDING FROM IMLS TO MAKE THIS PROJECT POSSIBLE AND WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING YOU THE CALL TO ACTION REPORT IN A FEW MONTHS.
THANK YOU.
[END OF REALTIME CAPTIONING]