A collaborative culturally-centered and community-driven faith-based opioid recovery initiative: the Imani Breakthrough project

ABSTRACT

The opioid crisis has become a complex and multifaceted societal challenge. For Black and Latinx individuals, access and engagement in effective treatment remains a high concern. Developed as the result of a collaborative culturally-responsive initiative, the Imani Breakthrough program has been hosted by Black and Latinx churches. It has helped participants improve their lives, feel valued by society, connect with others, and have positive relationships with their loved ones and community. This brief report highlights preliminary findings which demonstrate the strength of this model of care involving community churches, highlighting the need/potential for continued collaboration efforts.

KEYWORDS:

• Opioid recovery
• cultural responsiveness
• Black/African American and Latino/x
• faith-based
• substance use disorder
• mental health
• Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR).

Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), State Opioid Response, SAMHSA, but this publication does not express the views of DMHAS or the State of Connecticut. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the CT Department of Mental Health and Addictions through SAMHSA STR and SOR funding. It does not represent endorsement of the findings.