Public Health Insight
The Public Health Insight Podcast is a weekly podcast ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally. The podcast covers all things public health and global health, from the sustainable development goals to the social determinants of health, as well as interesting dialogues about the diverse career opportunities that exist in the fields. Since its launch in March 2020, the podcast has featured more than 40 high-profile guests and has built an audience in more than 5,000 cities in over 190 countries.
Public Health Insight
Policies Gone Wrong & The Power Of Systems Thinking - Part 3 - Story Of The Opioid Epidemic
Approximately 115 people die every day in the United States from an opioid overdose, amounting to more than 400,000 deaths in the last two decades alone. The numbers are high, but we must never forget that there's a story behind every single number. Making progress in addressing this crisis requires systems thinking across a multitude of sectors and industries.
What you’ll hear in this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast with Dr. Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia is:
◼️ The impact of slowly evolving policies on the worsening opioid crisis;
◼️ The role of stigma in hampering progressive approaches;
◼️ The value of adopting a systems thinking approach with a variety of stakeholders;
◼️ Barriers to systems thinking include lack of funding, resources, motivation, and champions for the process;
◼️ A readiness implementation tool can help coalitions and task forces assess their progress and plan strategically for a systems approach; and
◼️ The conversation concludes with Dr. Loeffler-Cobia sharing her personal motivation for doing this work, reminding us that there is a story behind every statistic.
Guest
◼️ Dr. Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia, DrPH, MS, Director of Justice and Public Health Policy and Practice at WestEd Justice and Prevention Research Center; University of Southern California Adjunct Associate Professor
References
◼️ Helping Leaders Address the Opioid Crisis: A Q&A With Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia
◼️ The White House is now tracking opioid overdoses that don't kill. Why that's important.
◼️ The triple wave epidemic: Supply and demand drivers of the US opioid overdose crisis
Hosts & Producers
◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®
◼️ Leshawn Benedict, MPH, MSc, PMP®
Production Notes
◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music Room
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Subscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.