Community ENgagement, Trauma, Equity, and Renewal
to CENTER People Who Use Drugs
The mission of the CENTER Initiative is to reduce overdose, confront the impact of trauma, and invest in the long-term wellbeing of Black people most impacted by addiction, drug use, and overdose in St. Louis. The CENTER Initiative is a partnership between the University of Missouri, St. Louis - Missouri Institute of Mental Health (UMSL-MIMH), The T, Family Care Health Centers, the Community Health Worker Coalition, the Regional Health Commission, Integrated Health Network, and the Behavioral Health Network. This initiative is funded by The Missouri Foundation for Health.
Long-term goals: Create Systems Change
Healthcare and treatment systems end punitive and coercive approaches that disproportionately harm Black people and instead prioritize culturally appropriate services that center Black drug users’ agency, autonomy, and safety.
A funding, policy, and accountability landscape that truly values and listens to Black people impacted by addiction and invests in local Black organizations and networks, ensuring they have the autonomy and capacity to respond to the needs of their communities.
Current Priorities:
Change the Narrative: The entire community will understand the urgency of the current overdose crisis for Black people in St. Louis while appreciating and celebrating the many paths to recovery.
Promote Safe Use: Safe use supplies are standard and equitably distributed in Black communities with champions trained to respond and promote individual and community wellbeing.
Increase Service Options: Black people are served equally by the existing continuum of substance use services and new innovative models are supported to expand healing care and social support.
Our Approaches:
Advocacy: influencing and supporting policies and practices that create a safer, more responsive landscape for Black individuals and communities affected by drug use.
Education: promoting the wellness and agency of people who use drugs by providing training, education, and resources that foster community-based healing to both community members and providers
Intervention: organizing, providing, and advocating for novel approaches and connections to addiction treatment, housing, “whole person” healthcare, and related support services.
Relationship-Building: building connections to boost community capacity to advocate and coordinate for continued investments and infrastructure that improve drug user health and equity.
Research: conducting community-engaged research to identify challenges, needs, and priorities for Black people who use drugs and those impacted by addiction more broadly.
To Contact the CENTER Initiative, send an email to Maria Paschke, Community Research Specialist for CENTER at mpaschke@umsl.edu