The opioid epidemic has been in the news and on the minds of public health and healthcare professionals from coast to coast, prompting the U.S. Surgeon General to send a letter to over 2.3 million leaders calling for action¹. Like other population health issues, efforts to address this crisis will be most effective when public health, healthcare, and community–based organizations work collaboratively.

 

Originally drafted in May 2016 at the Practical Playbook Meeting, and updated in July 2017 at the National Association of County and City Health Officials Annual meeting, The Population Health Driver Diagram for Combating the Opioid and Heroin Crises is an excellent place for any community to start when addressing this issue with multiple stakeholders. During the meeting workshops, physicians, health department officials, hospital administrators, and other professionals worked in small groups and collectively to identify key drivers to address the goal of confronting opioid and heroin use in communities. The Population Health Driver Diagram for Combating the Opioid and Heroin Crises was created from this discussion using cross-sector expertise. 
 
Feel free to adapt this driver diagram by modifying the AIM statement, goals, and drivers. Please share with PHF any versions of the driver diagram and experiences with its use.