Community Compass campaign challenges culture of substance use in mountain communities

Eagle County recently issued the following press release on behalf of the Region 5 Opioid Abatement Council:

Eagle County, in collaboration with Garfield, Lake, Pitkin, and Summit counties, has launched the Community Compass campaign to reduce the stigma surrounding substance use disorders and help connect residents to local treatment and recovery resources. Opioid settlement funds allocated by the Colorado Attorney General’s office fund this program.

From 2020 to 2022, 88 people died from drug overdoses in the five counties designated as Region 5 by the Colorado Attorney General’s Opioid Response Unit, with 50 of those overdoses involving opioids. Additionally, a total of 1,532 people were admitted to emergency departments across Region 5 for drug overdoses in that same time period. 12

The Community Compass campaign focuses on real-life stories from local community members, shares educational content on opioid and substance use disorders, and connects residents with local resources. It does this through the CommunityCompass.co website and social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

“Coloradans often rank higher than the national average in many health and wellness areas,” said Director of Eagle County Public Health & Environment Heath Harmon. “Unfortunately, this trend extends to alcohol and drug use, where higher does not mean better. Community Compass is helping to foster an environment throughout our region where all residents feel welcome and supported by promoting sobriety as a positive, normal choice.” 

The Region 5 Opioid Abatement Council funds Community Compass and is comprised of various representatives of agencies and organizations in the region. The council distributes opioid settlement funds to support programs that aim to reduce substance-related deaths, increase community awareness and utilization of substance use resources, and understand needs and gaps in the regional prevention systems.

The campaign was created over six months and incorporated surveys, 24 focus groups, and interviews with community members.

Colorado-based marketing agency Effct.org and the Region 5 Council created and managed the campaign. The agency meets regularly with the Council’s campaign workgroup to further develop the campaign. “Community Compass uses the power of storytelling to shift attitudes towards substance use disorder and connect residents to resources. Our focus is on saving lives and improving people’s health here in the high Rockies,” said John Boughey, Effct.org’s account manager who oversees the campaign. 

The agency is one of three contractors currently working with the council. The Roaring Fork Valley-based nonprofit High Rockies Harm Reduction provides peer support and evidence-based harm reduction services in all five counties, and the Denver-based consulting group OMNI Institute is developing a regional data dashboard.

Visit communitycompass.co to learn more about the work the Region 5 Opioid Abatement Council is doing to combat the opioid crisis and save lives. To stay up to date, follow @CommunityCompassCo on social media.