ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — A new marketing campaign, "Detect to Protect," is set to roll out from the Erie County Department of Health.
The awareness initiative is a multi-media, multi-year program focused on reducing opioid overdoses and deaths. The county is hoping to create public attention about the need to test illicit drugs like cocaine for fentanyl.
The initiative will use "evidence-based messages" to reduce trends in overdoses and related deaths according to a press release from the Erie County Health Department. It is also aimed at reducing the stigma around drug use.
Messages will include data about the dramatic increase in cocaine-related fentanyl overdose deaths, the disproportionate impact on Black and African American residents, and how overdose deaths are occurring in an older age group.
"The idea of Buffalo as a City of Good Neighbors extends to our entire county and region, too, and the concept of protection as a part of harm reduction is fundamental to this campaign,” County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. “This campaign underscores the critical message that people can protect themselves, help protect their neighbors, and spread the word to increase awareness and incentivize everyone to be part of addressing this health crisis.”
The ECDOH partnered with Impact Marketing and Communications out of Albany and the ECDOH Office of Harm Reduction. According to county health leaders, the marketing used county-level data, trends, focus groups, and interviews with community leaders, healthcare providers, and other people involved and impacted by opioid overdoses and deaths.
“This is not a cookie-cutter campaign,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein.
“We felt from the very beginning that this campaign should be informed and inspired by our community. The final product features real people from Erie County, many who have been integral parts of our response to this epidemic," she added.
Visuals for the campaign can be seen in the Rath Building lobby throughout the week of July 22.
Soon targeted social media posts will be going out to try and get the message around overdose trends to the people who need the information the most. "Detect to Protect" posters and brochures have also been created.
A toolkit for local outreach and harm reduction organizations to educate themselves and the people they are working with can be found here.
The next Erie County Overdose Prevention Task Force meeting is on August 5 at 10 a.m. at the Erie County Emergency and Training Operations Center. Five workgroups will report on current initiatives and the County will share recent data.
For more information, visit the Erie County website here.