Collective Messaging Framework
Think of the collective message framework as a guide for broadening stakeholders' perspectives. This approach will allow stakeholders to better understand the connection between ACEs, overdose, and suicide. It will help them see the urgent need to break down silos to address them more effectively. As such, the collective messaging framework:
- Provides strategically connected messages about ACEs, overdose, and suicide that strengthen the work of advocates and subject matter experts in each of these individual issues.
- Advances an overarching narrative that ACEs, overdose, and suicide are urgent, related, and preventable public health challenges.
- Empowers subject matter experts to inform and influence stakeholder decisions towards effective, prevention-focused public health policies, approaches, and funding.
Core Message
Adverse childhood experiences, overdose, and suicide are urgent and related public health challenges that have consequences for all of us.
These challenges are preventable if we adopt a coordinated approach that focuses on addressing today’s crises while preventing tomorrow’s.
Urgent
Exposure to ACEs, overdose, and suicide are urgent public health challenges confronting every community in the country. These challenges contribute to shortened life span, lower quality of life, rising healthcare costs, lost economic productivity, and strain on our social service system that affects all of us.
Related
These challenges are related because exposure to ACEs is associated with increased risk of overdose and suicide later in life. And for children, because losing a loved one to suicide or overdose is an ACE, future overdose or suicide risk grows. As such, ACEs, overdose, and suicide are each associated with the other, and the impact can last across generations.
Preventable
Fortunately, these three crises are preventable if we take a comprehensive public health approach that addresses the complex and often related challenges that impact these outcomes and health more broadly. By building on community strengths—and focusing not just on treatment but also on prevention—we can meet the immediate needs of those already affected today while preventing future risk and adverse health outcomes tomorrow.
Approach
We need a coordinated approach to:
- Increase understanding.
- Engage a broad movement of champions and change agents in communities.
- Ensure equity in policies, programs, and services that build on the strengths of individuals, families, and communities while reducing the disparities that increase risk.
- Invest in research and evaluation to better understand what works, why, and for whom.
- Implement successful strategies and translate for specific cultural contexts.