As an addictions professional you have been asked by the mayor of your town (Rural or Urban area) to serve on an opioid taskforce. This taskforce was developed in response to the increasing overdose in the community. The goal of the taskforce is to analyze the current issue and make recommendations on how best to address this epidemic. Recommendations should look at addressing any social, cultural, and/or policy related aspects of the presenting problem. You will select a town in which your taskforce is focused on and identify that area as either rural or urban.
Instruction and Format:
Part 1 (200-300 words)
1. , you must understand where you stand in relation to the problem at hand. Explain your views on addiction utilizing the following areas to guide your self-reflection:
a. What type of community (rural or urban area) were you raised in and what impact might this have on your views of addictions.
b. What is your cultural identity and how does that impact your views on addiction.
c. What is your family’s views of addiction and values they instilled in you regarding drug and alcohol use?
d. Now imagine that you have a close family member who is addicted to heroin and at high risk for overdose. If this issue only impacted your family and your family alone, what might be your recommendations to address the issue.
Part 2 (200-300 words)
2. Once you understand your views and what may shape those views put yourself in the shoes of families in the community who have loved ones addicted to substances and at high risk for overdose.
a. What might their values be?
b. What is important to them?
c. Would what is best for the community at large conflict with families’ desires?
Part 3 (1000 words)
3. As a member of task force you are responsible for compiling the information gathered and submitting the taskforce’s recommendations to the mayor. Your report will include the following areas:
a. Description of the town the taskforce is focused on
i. Rural or urban area
ii. Town’s population
iii. Description of the population (race, socioeconomic status, etc.)
b. Defining the problem
i. Statistics on rates of addiction within the town.
ii. Numbers of overdoses within the town.
iii. The social influences that are impacting the rate of addiction.
iv. Cultural influences that are impacting the rate of addiction.
v. What policies are present to address the issue?
vi. Impact of current policy on controlling the rate of overdoses.
c. In the body of your report you should systematically reflect and analyze the problem to develop and define the taskforce recommendations. Remember this can include recommendations regarding policy, treatment strategies, or innovative preventive strategies, etc. to impact the overdose rate.
d. In your conclusion you should, reflect on and analyze how the change(s) the taskforce proposed can make a difference on the rate of overdoses. Also discuss the potential barriers to success of the recommendations.
the world counts listed above are estimates the total of the entire paper should be approximately 1,000-1500 words (not including citations & bibliography). part one and two is really just a collection of your thoughts written down and then you use that to do part 3. The report should be submitted in APA style and assure that all references are cited utilizing APA style.
