Education
We believe in providing foundational knowledge of substance use to reduce stigma, provide continual and ongoing sharing of new information or trends, sharing personal stories to support that knowledge and making education accessible to all.
Diversity
We believe that our work should include all walks of life that encompass many backgrounds, experiences, expertise, and identities.
Data Driven
We believe in data driven practices as a means to check assumptions and provide relevant, evidence-based services that promote equality.
INNOVAtion
We believe in the infusion of new, creative, and out-of-the-box ideas and practices to ensure continuous quality improvement.
Collaboration
We believe in collaboration as a means to draw the community together to leverage resources, build trust, and increase efficiency and awareness.
Unite the Community
We believe in overcoming biases through collaboration, building trust with the ultimate goal of uniting the community.
The Collective Response Initiative York (CRIY) evolved out of a nearly decade-long effort to unite the York County community to address the negative consequences of substance use. Initially started in 2014 by county government officials to address a spike in heroin-related overdoses, the effort evolved in 2017 with the creation of a non-profit organization called the York Opioid Collaborative (YOC). YOC was created to coordinate and create collaborations that raise awareness and advocate for support to collectively implement solutions and programs for substance use disorders. In 2023, the Advisory Board appointed by the York County Commissioners to oversee allocations of opioid settlement dollars in York County selected YOC to act as the “backbone” for a collective impact effort to significantly reduce the impact of substance use and create an environment of continuous lifelong recovery and support.
“Collective impact” is a framework for uniting a community to transform outcomes by altering the conditions that hold an intolerable status quo in place. (See document summarizing the framework.) In this case, the intolerable status quo includes an overdose death rate in York County from 2015-2019 that was 53% higher than the national average and over 1,300 lives lost to drug overdose since 2013. The YOC is now working with community leaders to design the key elements and structures of the initiative. The following is a draft summary of those elements and structures, which will continue to evolve as more organizations and individuals begin to engage with and shape the initiative.
If you are interested in joining the Collective Response Initiative York, please reach out to our Community Engagement Specialist, Kirstin Einsig, at [email protected].