Navigating the Post-Pandemic Landscape: The Challenges and Opportunities of Community-Based Networks in Substance Prevention

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced substance prevention work, exacerbating existing challenges and providing new opportunities for community-based substance prevention networks (CSPNs). CSPNs are interorganizational networks that include various providers, such as nonprofits and government agencies, that collaborate to provide substance prevention services and are embedded in local communities. This study analyzes the post-pandemic adaptation of a CSPN in the United States. Through qualitative thematic analysis of interview data with network leaders, this study identifies two primary challenges: resource constraints and engagement obstacles and two primary opportunities: innovation in service delivery and data importance. The findings affirm what is known about the barriers to substance prevention and point to a novel shift in community-based substance prevention work. Particularly, CSPNs are adopting harm-reduction tactics and expanding digital outreach to support clients. As CSPNs continue to emerge, this research provides insight into the evolving landscape of substance prevention work and the critical role of community-based networks. The findings in this study offer practical implications for enhancing CSPN effectiveness and resilience in substance prevention.

Keywords

substance prevention community-Based substance prevention post-pandemic adaptation COVID-19 collaboration

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Albert

Brason

F. W.

Sanford

C. K.

Dasgupta

Graham

Lovette

(2011). Project Lazarus: Community-based overdose prevention in rural North Carolina. Pain Medicine, 12(suppl_2), S77–S85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01128.x

Amaro

(1999). An expensive policy: The impact of inadequate funding for substance abuse treatment. American Journal of Public Health, 89(5), 657–659. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.89.5.657

Braun

Clarke

(2012). Thematic analysis. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004

Brown

J. H.

(2001). Youth, drugs and resilience education. Journal of Drug Education, 31(1), 83–122. https://doi.org/10.2190/365c-6f4j-7cx7-7jyh

Brown–Saracino

(2020). Epilogue: Lessons from the sociology of small cities and other understudied locales. City & Community, 19(1), 217–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/cico.12459

Buller

D. B.

Walkosz

B. J.

Gill Woodall

(2019). Use of media and social media in the prevention of substance use. In: Z. Sloboda, H. Petras, E. Robertson, & R. Hingson (Eds.), Prevention of substance use. Advances in prevention science. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00627-3_20

Chaturvedi

Vishwakarma

D. K.

Singh

(2021). COVID-19 and its impact on education, social life and mental health of students: A survey. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105866

Clapp

J. D.

Stanger

L. S.

Burke

A. C.

(1996). Life after funding: A strategy for survival of a program to prevent substance abuse. Journal of American College Health, 45(2), 79–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.1996.9936866

Cobo-Gómez

J. C.

(2024). Social innovation in university-community partnerships in Latin America: Exploring collaborative models. Sustainable Technology and Entrepreneurship, 3(2), 100061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stae.2023.100061

10.

Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County. (n.d.). South county bridges to a drug-free community. https://preventsubstancemisuse.org/coalitions/south-county-bridges-to-a-drug-free-community/

11.

Fleming

P. J.

Spolum

M. M.

Lopez

W. D.

Galea

(2021). The public health funding paradox: How funding the problem and solution impedes public health progress. Public Health Reports, 136(1), 10–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354920969172

12.

Galvin

D. M.

(2000). Workplace managed care: Collaboration for substance abuse prevention. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 27, 125–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02287307

13.

Green

T. C.

Zaller

Palacios

W. R.

Bowman

S. E.

Ray

Heimer

Case

(2013). Law enforcement attitudes toward overdose prevention and response. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 133(2), 677–684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.08.018

14.

Grossman

E. R.

Sonnenschein

(2023). The impact of helping children with distance learning during COVID-19 on US parents’ alcohol consumption. Journal of Drug Education, 52(1-2), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472379231185125

15.

Haug

N. A.

Shopshire

Tajima

Gruber

Guydish

(2008). Adoption of evidence-based practices among substance abuse treatment providers. Journal of Drug Education, 38(2), 181–192. https://doi.org/10.2190/de.38.2.f

16.

Hutchison

Russell

B. S.

(2021). Community coalition efforts to prevent adolescent substance use: A systematic review. Journal of Drug Education, 50(1-2), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472379211016384

17.

Jeffers, A., Meehan, A. A., Barker, J., Asher, A., Montgomery, M. P., Bautista, G., Ray, C. M., Laws, R. L., Fields, V. L., Radhakrishnan, L., Cha, S., Christensen, A., Dupervil, B., Verlenden, J. V., Cassell, C. H., Boyer, A., DiPietro, B., Cary, M., Yang, M., … Marcus, R. (2022). Impact of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, substance use, and homelessness: Qualitative interviews with behavioral health providers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12120. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912120

18.

Kaltreider

D. L.

St. Pierre

T. L.

(1995). Beyond the schools: Strategies for implementing successful drug prevention programs in community youth-serving organizations. Journal of Drug Education, 25(3), 223–237. https://doi.org/10.2190/5uba-xfj0-1wec-3vk3

19.

Khanal

Bento

Tagliabue

(2021). A scoping review of organizational responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in schools: A complex systems perspective. Education Sciences, 11(3), 115. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11030115

20.

Kruger

D. J.

Kirk

H. M.

Leonard

K. E.

Lynch

J. J.

Nielsen

Collins

R. L.

Ditre

J. W.

Fletcher-Blake

Green

S. A.

Hogue

Hunter

J. K.

Marraffa

J. M.

Clemency

B. M.

(2024). Assessing experts’ perspectives on challenges in substance misuse prevention, harm reduction, and treatment to shape funding priorities in New York state. Harm Reduction Journal, 21(1), 134. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-024-01045-3

21.

Magor-Blatch

(2011). Beyond zero tolerance: Providing a framework to promote social justice and healthy adolescent development. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 28(1), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1375/aedp.28.1.61

22.

McCann

Bianchi

Letina

Stewart

McLeod

Tranmer

(2024). A social network analysis approach to assess COVID19-related disruption to substance use treatment and informal social interactions among people who use drugs in Scotland. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 19(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-024-00469-3

23.

Midford

(2010). Drug prevention programmes for young people: Where have we been and where should we be going? Addiction, 105(10), 1688–1695. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02790.x

24.

Miles

J.-P.

(2024). Navigating local: Emergent roles of navigators in community-driven care systems. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/08997640241268760

25.

Oser

C. B.

Biebel

E. P.

Pullen

Harp

K. L.

(2013). Causes, consequences, and prevention of burnout among substance abuse treatment counselors: A rural versus urban comparison. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 45(1), 17–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2013.763558

26.

Palombi

Olivarez

Bennett

Hawthorne

A. N.

(2019). Community forums to address the opioid crisis: An effective grassroots approach to rural community engagement. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1178221819827595

27.

Parker

O’Sullivan

Watts

(2021). Evaluation of a community-based harm reduction intervention aimed at adjudicated college students. Journal of Drug Education, 50(1-2), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472379211051665

28.

Patrick

S. W.

Henkhaus

L. E.

Zickafoose

J. S.

Lovell

Halvorson

Loch

Letterie

Davis

M. M.

(2020). Well-being of parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey. Pediatrics, 146(4). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-016824

29.

Power

Hughes

Cotter

Cannon

(2020). Youth mental health in the time of COVID-19. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 37(4), 301–305. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2020.84

30.

Richardson

G. B.

Montgomery

Brubaker

M. D.

(2016). Interpersonal contact and attitudes toward adolescents who abuse substances. Journal of Drug Education, 46(3-4), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047237917744330

31.

Roberts

Rogers

Mason

Siriwardena

A. N.

Hogue

Whitley

G. A.

Law

G. R.

(2021). Alcohol and other substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 229, 109150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109150

32.

Saldaña

(2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-coding-manual-for-qualitative-researchers/book273583

33.

Shastry

Lin

Aldy

Brent

Wax

Krotulski

Campleman

Meyn

Abston

Logan

Amaducci

Judge

Levine

Calello

Shulman

Hughes

Culbreth

Schwarz

Manini

A. F.

& Toxicology Investigators Consortium Fentalog Study Group. (2024). Heroin or fentanyl: Prevalence of confirmed fentanyl in ED patients with suspected heroin overdose. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 5(4), e13235. https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.13235

34.

Shoptaw

Stein

J. A.

Rawson

R. A.

(2000). Burnout in substance abuse counselors: Impact of environment, attitudes, and clients with HIV. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19(2), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0740-5472(99)00106-3

35.

Sistani

de Bittner

M. R.

Shaya

F. T.

(2023). Social determinants of health, substance use, and drug overdose prevention. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 63(2), 628–632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2022.10.023

36.

Stockings

Hall

W. D.

Lynskey

Morley

K. I.

Reavley

Strang

Patton

Degenhardt

(2016). Prevention, early intervention, harm reduction, and treatment of substance use in young people. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(3), 280–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(16)00002-x

37.

Thomas

D. R.

(2017). Feedback from research participants: Are member checks useful in qualitative research? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 14(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2016.1219435

38.

Valente

T. W.

Chou

C. P.

Pentz

M. A.

(2007). Community coalitions as a system: Effects of network change on adoption of evidence-based substance abuse prevention. American Journal of Public Health, 97(5), 880–886. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2005.063644

39.

van den Berk-Clark

Fedorova

Duncan

Pickard

(2024). Funding and implementation of recovery oriented treatment programs in the US from 2006–2020. Journal of Drug Education, 53(1-2), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472379231217830

40.

Vidourek

R. A.

King

K. A.

Yockey

R. A.

Becker

K. J.

Merianos

A. L.

(2019). Straight to the point: A review of the literature on needle ExchangePrograms in the United States. Journal of Behavioral Health, 10(0), 1. https://doi.org/10.5455/jbh.20181023074620

41.

Volkow

N. D.

(2020). Collision of the COVID-19 and addiction epidemics. Annals of Internal Medicine, 173(1), 61–62. https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-1212

42.

Volkow

N. D.

Blanco

(2021). Research on substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 129, 108385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108385

43.

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. (n.d.). Snoqualmie valley community network. https://www.dshs.wa.gov/ffa/research-and-data-analysis/snoqualmie-valley-community-network

44.

Weitzman

E. R.

Nelson

T. F.

(2004). College student binge drinking and the “prevention paradox”: Implications for prevention and harm reduction. Journal of Drug Education, 34(3), 247–265. https://doi.org/10.2190/w6l6-g171-m4ft-twap

45.

Wiepking

de Wit

(2024). Unrestricted funding and nonprofit capacities: Developing a conceptual model. Nonprofit Management and Leadership https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21592

46.

Willis

C. D.

Greene

J. K.

Abramowicz

Riley

B. L.

(2016). Strengthening the e vidence and action on multi-sectoral partnerships in public health: An action research initiative. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, 36(6), 101–111. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.36.6.01

47.

Winkeljohn Black

Owen

Soler

Fincham

(2020). Understanding relations among drinking and hookup motives, consequences, and depressive symptoms in college students. Journal of Drug Education, 49(1-2), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047237920929333