Monroe County Safe Community Coalition and Addiction Policy Forum Launch Anti-Stigma Initiative to Improve Community Responses to Addiction
Monroe County Safe Community Coalition has partnered with Addiction Policy Forum to launch a community survey, as part of a nationwide Anti-Stigma Initiative, to gather a better understanding of the attitudes and knowledge people have of addiction and to help communities identify where addiction literacy and targeted interventions need to be implemented.
Addiction is one of the most stigmatized health conditions on earth. Individuals with substance use disorder are subject to very harsh moral judgments and frequent discrimination. These negative attitudes and behaviors, also known as stigma, prevent people who are struggling from reaching out for help and isolate families affected by the disease who fear being judged by their communities.
The survey will help measure addiction knowledge, support for public health responses to addiction, and perceptions around addiction in the community. In doing so, results can help inform strategies to better educate, collaborate, and advocate needed resources and strategies to curb the addiction crisis across the community and state.
