Classrooms to Conferences: Connecting the Community to Fight Drug Misuse

This is the 12th installment in a series of profiles featuring DEA special agents, diversion investigators, chemists, and more. Learn about the tough but fulfilling, fascinating, and vital work these DEA personnel do, as well as the many different ways to get involved in fighting drug misuse.

For our 12th profile, we will be interviewing Community Outreach Specialist Ciara. 

 

What motivated you to join the DEA?

I was a contractor for DEA under the DEA 360 project in Salt Lake City, 2018. I was nervous to join at first as I didn’t know much about DEA. However, what I did know for certain is I wanted to be part of addressing the opioid crisis as this was personal for me. Nervously, I hired on, and quickly realized the importance of collaboration between public safety and public health in addressing this crisis. Public safety has a unique position to prevent substance misuse, and help folks get on a better trajectory. This, combined with the phenomenal people I got to work with who cared about prevention, safety, better health, and prosperity for their community is what motivated me to continue working at DEA.

I am now an official employee, and I am ecstatic to be part of this team. My experience at DEA has also propelled me to pursue my Master's in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, where I am an Addiction and Overdose Fellow, as well as my Master's in Public Policy at Northeastern University.

 

What does an average day as a Community Outreach Specialist look like for you? 

As a Community Outreach Specialist, each day is different for me, which is why I love it. Some days I’m giving presentations about the opioid crisis -- the current state of affairs, what we are seeing in public health data, how to reduce stigma, and talking about protective factors and how to keep our communities safe. Other times, I’m connecting with stakeholders to learn what they are doing to address the problem and brainstorm how we can work together. Sometimes it’s having a table of information and people can approach you at their own pace, having intimate dialogues about our outreach efforts. More often than not, you meet someone who has been impacted and they are glad to have met you; it lets them be heard. One of my most favorite aspects of outreach is connecting folks to local, relevant resources. I believe it’s important as a COS to be knowledgeable and well-rounded about the topic because you never know what questions you will get. So, if someone asks you a question, you know how to answer it or triage them in the right direction.

 

What has been your proudest moment as a Community Outreach Specialist thus far? 

I’m still new as a full-time Community Outreach Specialist, so I really think there is so much to be excited about. However, one of my proudest moments so far was participating in the National Family Summit. I was able to connect with families from all over the country and learn about their collective efforts in preventing the harms around substance misuse. There are some incredible people out there, and big kudos to those who have turned their pain into something positive and productive.

 

 

How can young people who wish to become a Community Outreach Specialist best prepare themselves for the job?

The COSs across our country have a diverse set of skills and come from a variety of professions. We have folks with nurse practitioner backgrounds, to licensed therapists, master’s in public health, former law enforcement professionals, and more! There is no one way to prepare for the job as all talents are welcome. However, being able to connect with communities, innovate for a new future, being willing to collaborate, and consistently showing up for your community is what is going to make someone a proficient outreach professional. I would also say being well-rounded, being able to hear other opinions, and knowing all about the subject -- from public safety and health to social services, treatment, recovery, social support, etc. There is a lot to unpack in this realm; however, we are all trying to protect our community from the further harms drug misuse can bring, save human lives, and envision a better future for all.

 

The synthetic opioid fentanyl – often mixed into other drugs – is now responsible for tens of thousands of American deaths per year. How has the fentanyl epidemic changed your job?

The fentanyl crisis is exacerbating the harms of substance misuse, and certainly increasing drug overdose deaths. Since 2018, when I began working in the opioid realm, the first phase of the crisis was patients being overprescribed opioids after an injury or surgery of some sort. Data was then showing that 8 out of 10 people who were actively using heroin had started with a prescription opioid.

With the transition of heroin and introduction of cost-effective, easy-to-make illicit fentanyl, the drug supply has completely changed. Now, we are seeing people who are dealing with chronic substance use disorders who need treatment, and people who are thinking they are taking a legitimate pill that turned out to be something else, laced with unregulated amounts of fentanyl. There is no such thing as pharmaceutical-grade pills being bought outside of a pharmacy, and there is hardly any heroin.

Fentanyl is the main drug outside of a pharmacy putting people at severe risk of drug overdose death. The number one cause of death for people ages 18-45 years old is drug-related overdose, a new statistic that wasn’t a thing more than 6 years ago. Within 6 years, we have seen drug overdose deaths increase by tens of thousands each year. However, on the flip side, what is not talked about is the number of people who are seeking treatment and supports. While these statistics are devastating, conversation around the topic is happening more than ever; people in treatment and recovery are addressing stigma and changing the narrative of this disease. People can and do recover, and go on to live fulfilling lives. There is a delicate balance to sharing both viewpoints, and it’s important we highlight the progress that is being made. There is so much more work to be done, and when we work together instead of against one another, we get better outcomes.

 

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