Community-led survey provides insight to opioids-related concerns

Center for Nursing Informatics faculty collaborated with community partners Hue-MAN Partnership and the City of Minneapolis public health department to reveal new data-driven insights regarding opioids and resilience during COVID-19. Clinical Associate Professor Sripriya Rajamani, PhD, MPH, MBBS, FAMIA, Assistant Professor Robin Austin, PhD, DNP, DC, RN-BC, FAMIA, and Professor Karen Monsen, PhD, RN, FAMIA, FAAN, together with DNP students, used the University of Minnesota-trademarked MyStrengths+MyHealth app, targeting outreach in collaboration with neighborhood and community leaders. This community-solicited project was possible because of the mutual trusting relationships fostered in previous School of Nursing community-research collaborations. More than 500 individuals responded to the need for better data to show resilience and whole-person health in our communities and beyond. This allowed the research team to examine the data to show strengths, challenges and needs of the community — demonstrating to community partners the importance of understanding whole-person health locally to guide policy and community decisions.

The findings were highly positive. Respondents in Minnesota showed substantial strengths, with resilience centering around home, faith, and neighborhood safety, compared to respondents from other places. There were also sobering considerations, in that respondents with substance use challenges were much more likely to face other challenges as well. Further community research will build on these findings.

Center for Nursing Informatics faculty continue to foster positive collaborations in order to make data-driven research and policy available and accessible to the broader Minneapolis community, the nation and our global partners.