Brandeis University Launches Site to Help Communities Formulate Opioid Crisis Response

The Opioid Policy Research Collaborative, an initiative that is part of the Institute for Behavioral Health at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy Management, has launched a new website to inform communities and local leaders on what other municipalities are doing to address the opioid crisis and help shape interventions of their own.

The Brandeis Opioid Resource Connector (BORC) website provides 150 community-based program models for initiatives and policies to reduce opioid addiction and overdose, as well as 500 additional resources, including toolkits, reports, peer-reviewed articles, and data and mapping assets, and COVID-19-specific tools.

Content covers prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction. BORC’s curated list of community programs is frequently updated, and a feedback form allows visitors to submit their own programs for potential inclusion. The site also includes tools for choosing interventions, policies and practices, plus assistance for building and sustaining coalitions and task forces.

“For communities and local leaders, BORC is a critical starting point and ongoing resource, including insights on adaptations to initiatives during the COVID-19 crisis,” Traci Green, director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative said in a news release. “The BORC website connects evidence to action on opioid misuse and overdose, which will save lives, reduce harm, and help build resilient communities.”