Durham Joins Together
What We Do
About Durham Joins Together to Save Lives
The Durham Joins Together (DJT) to Save Lives Task Force was organized as a result of a County Leadership Forum on the issue of opioid overdose, which took place on February 27, 2018. The forum brought together 250 officials and community leaders, including representatives from:
- Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH)
- Together for Resilient Youth (TRY)
- Alliance Health
- Durham Recovery Response Center
- Duke University and Health System
- Durham County Criminal Justice Resource Center (CJRC)
- Durham County Emergency Medical Services Community Paramedic
- Lincoln Community Health Center
- Office of the Sheriff
- RTI International
- North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC)
Their early organizing work contributed to their team involvement with the UNC-School of Government’s Opioid Response Project dedicated to mitigating the opioid crisis in Durham County.
In support of these partnerships, DCoDPH was awarded funding to combat the opioid crisis by supporting a post-overdose response team (PORT), connecting justice-involved persons to evidence-based care for opioid use disorder, and focusing on expanding peer support and housing resources for people with substance use disorder in Durham. Click to learn more about the Community Linkages to Care (CLC) Peer Support Program.
Committees
Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Tremaine Sawyer and Lacie Scofield, Co-Chairs
Meets monthly to discuss available opioid and other substance use disorder treatment options and support services in the community to include medication assisted treatment, peer support services, recovery housing, and post-overdose follow-ups.
Prevention and Education
Dr. Wanda Boone, Chair
- Uses the culturally competent Seven Strategies for Community Change to prevent all forms of substance use, initiate community peer support and support parents that have lost family members due to substance use
- Addresses substance use through a framework built on understanding of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and resilience.
Together for Resilient Youth is the prevention arm of DJT.
Data
Dr. Ryan Bell, Chair
Provides updates on Injury Prevention Branch county level data and specific data on the impact of opioids use and overdoses on the African American Community.
Resources created by DJT
Click to view the Fact Sheet on Housing and Medication for People with Opioid Use Disorder. This fact sheet was created by the Housing Subcommittee of the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Committee.
Resources from Past Meetings of the DJT Task Force and Committees.
To view agendas, minutes, committee reports, and other materials from DJT, please visit Durham Joins Together Resources page