To effectively reach any audience, information has to be crafted and packaged in a way that speaks directly to that audience. But finding that material isn’t always easy. That is why Working Partners® was contacted by the Columbus Division of Police (CPD) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to explore ways to provide relevant training on the prescription drug epidemic to peace officers. The desire was to create something along the lines of A Dose of Reality that would be useful to law enforcement.
The challenge facing this project was funding.
Working Partners® was able to facilitate cooperation and integration of systems by working with the CPD and DEA to identify how to:
- economize the cost of development and production of a course for law enforcement
- broaden the application objectives of the project to widen the pool of potential funders
To these ends, Cardinal Health Foundation, the funder of the original Dose of Reality course, was approached and decided that the adaptation of their course for the specific application for law enforcement officers fit their mission. They also decided to make an additional financial contribution toward development costs. The application of the course was also broadened to provide law enforcement continuing education credits. This decision allowed the Ohio Criminal Justice System to help fund the project and the Ohio Task Force Commanders Association petitioned funds from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.
The resulting course, A Dose of Reality for Law Enforcement Officers and Employees: Being a Safe & Critical Consumer of Prescription Medications, was put on Ohio’s Attorney General’s system, eOPATA, and promoted for continuing education required for law enforcement officers. Additionally, the course was made available for municipalities, firefighting personnel and other safety professionals.
