Non-profit global library cooperative OCLC has been awarded a $249,714 National Leadership Grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to collect and share knowledge and resources to support public libraries and their community partners address the opioid crisis.
In partnership with the Public Library Association (PLA), OCLC Research will produce eight case studies of varied communities in which the public library is already playing a role in responding to the opioid crisis. The project team will glean additional perspectives and insights from government agencies, public health and human services organisations, community organisations, library leaders, and people directly affected by the epidemic. A steering committee of library leaders, partner organisations and researchers will guide the work. The project will run through December 2019.
In addition to the case studies, the project team will create a call-to-action white paper, host a WebJunction webinar series, continue to moderate a Facebook group, and curate content and resources for library staff across the country. This new effort builds on past work, including the Opioid Crisis Townhall and related conference library programming and published articles.
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 115 people die every day after an opioid overdose, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that misuse of prescription opioids costs $78.5 billion a year. More than 20 percent of patients who have been prescribed opioids misuse them, and the Midwest saw a 70 percent increase in opioid overdoses from July 2016 through September 2017.
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