About
The backbone organization that ties together
Colorado’s response to the overdose crisis
The Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention coordinates Colorado’s response to the misuse of medications such as opioids, stimulants, and sedatives. The Consortium’s mission is to reduce prescription drug misuse and end overdose deaths in Colorado by developing policies, programs, and partnerships with the many state agencies, organizations, and community coalitions addressing one of Colorado’s major public health crises.
The Consortium is supported by and located at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Our work extends into all 64 counties in Colorado and our external relations staff live and work in rural communities on either side of the divide, allowing us to facilitate a statewide approach in both urban and rural communities.
OUR WORK
Since its formation in 2013, the Consortium has worked with state and federal agencies, as well as task forces, nonprofit organizations, health care providers, public health officials, and other groups that address the overdose epidemic. Together, this inclusive group has and continues to work toward improving the integration of education, public awareness, research, safe disposal, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery efforts across the state.
Examples of work include the Keep the Party Safe, Take Meds Seriously and Take Meds Back public awareness campaigns, educational brochures and posters, community forums, and numerous educational events for health care providers. In 2017, the Consortium created a Community Reference Guide, which was updated again in 2019. This toolkit is a great resource for partners to help guide or supplement their work. In 2019, the Consortium’s Recovery Workgroup participated in a combined effort with the Office of Behavioral Health, Colorado Health Institute and Mental Health Colorado to create Colorado’s Statewide Strategic Plan for Substance Use Disorder Recovery: 2020-2025.
The Consortium also provides expertise to policymakers about legislation and programming that can be implemented to address the crisis. The Consortium has helped the Legislature’s Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee by providing input on 14 bills that created more than 100 policies.
OUR HISTORY
For many years, the Consortium’s predecessor, the Colorado Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force, worked to educate providers about the problems of opioid misuse, diversion, and doctor shopping. In 2012, as the opioid crisis grew in scope and impact, Gov. John Hickenlooper convened experts from across the state to create the Colorado Plan to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse.
To promote a collaborative, interagency, and interprofessional response to the crisis, Gov. Hickenlooper established the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, an innovative model based on the Collective Impact approach. The Consortium was initially funded by a $1 million budget from former Attorney General John Suthers and launched in the summer of 2013 to implement the state’s strategic plan.
The Consortium now has a staff of 9 who are dedicated to helping Colorado end the opioid overdose epidemic. Staff work with partners and stakeholders at all levels of government with community groups and stakeholders across the state.
WORK GROUPS
Bringing diverse partners together to plan and execute important projects is a key feature of the Consortium. We support 9 active work groups which are led by volunteer co-chairs with subject matter expertise. Work groups welcome participation from partner agencies and institutions, community organizations, and private citizens. Work groups also coordinate with external groups like the Attorney General’s Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force, Behavioral Health Administration, and professional associations.
Along with the members of the Consortium’s coordinating committee (the collective of co-chairs and Consortium leadership), work group members set our priorities and determine the course of some of our most important programs and projects. Our team of program managers provide backbone support to the work groups to help each succeed with their respective aims.
COMMUNITY COALITION PARTNERS
The Consortium works with local and regional coalitions to support their community-based work.
The members of our external relations team share resources and best practices with our local partners and elevate the voice of local communities to state policymakers and funders. They work across the state to support community members and organizations in urban, rural, and frontier communities. Our staff truly engages communities in all parts of the state.
For more information, visit the Community Engagement page.