Members of Collective Response Initiative York (CRIY) all set forth to draft and create a Common Agenda which will act as a road map towards the work of reducing the adverse impact of substance use in York County, PA. While this effort seems simple – it means partners agreeing on strategies, activities, benchmarks and evaluative tools towards accomplishing a goal. A Common Agenda is not merely a strategic plan; rather, a living document that grows with the collective and will shift and evolve as the need for programming and planning changes.

To emphasize the “Impact” of Collective Impact, Collective Response Initiative York intends to have members reporting to metrics in similar ways to quantify the effort. In this way, members report data to inform the Collective utilizing similar definitions for data points to better emphasize the greater picture of substance use in York County, PA. Shared measurement is a data strategy to inform the group picture, rather than individualized programmatic compliance or mandatory data. Working towards shared measurement requires members to evaluate their internal data collection protocols and how to best present the data to other partners who may be providing similar services in our community.

In order to truly move from individualized programming to a future of York County, PA, where organizations and services working towards reducing the adverse impact of substance use work collectively, the strategies, activities, benchmarks, and evaluative tools must all work together. Key organizational players come from diverse sectors which requires purposeful engagement to overlap differing partners towards reducing the adverse impact of substance use., emphasizing the need for mutually reinforcing activities.

Though the issue of substance use did not become an issue in isolation, partners who work toward tackling this through Collective Response Initiative York commit to participating in a feedback loop of strategies, activities, benchmarks and evaluative tools that boast continuous communication. Continuous communication builds trust and purposeful partnership which is necessary towards reducing the adverse impact of substance use, a multi-layer, multi-sectoral crisis.

York Opioid Collaborative acts as the backbone agency of Collective Response Initiative York. After a tumultuous legal battle, York County, PA discovered it would be entitled to 18-years of significant funding from the Opioid Settlement. In order to ensure that this funding was targeted to the needs of the County, York County Commissioners recognized the importance to convene and organize community partners. As a result, the York Opioid Collaborative was chosen to host a Collective Impact (CI) framework initiative towards reducing the adverse impact of substance use. At no cost to members, York Opioid Collaborative hosts collaborative meetings, provides technical support and offers networking opportunities.