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Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis, 2019-2020

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Atismé, Kandice.; Yaugher, Ashley.; Williams, Randy, 1961-
Title
Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis
Dates
2019-2020 (inclusive)
Quantity
30 interviews, (1.9 gigabytes)
Collection Number
UUS_Folk Coll 72
Summary
Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis is a collection of thirty-one interviews (audio and transcripts) of individuals from nine Utah counties who have a personal connection to the opioid epidemic (e.g., people in recovery, family members, treatment providers, etc.). Interviews were conducted by trained community scholars and Utah State University (USU) personnel. These first-person narratives give voice to and commentary on the lived experiences of those most affected by substance use disorder.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Languages
Material in English
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Historical Note

In 2017 more than 72,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose; this is higher than the number of United States military personnel who died during the twenty-year Vietnam War. From 2013 through 2015, Utah's opioid overdoses outpaced deaths from firearms, falls, and motor vehicle accidents. During the last several years, health agencies and local coalitions have worked diligently to combat this epidemic through addressing opioid prescribing habits, educating the public about the risks of opioids and their addictive properties, and improving access to services to those who have substance use disorder. Throughout this work, stigma surrounding substance misuse, and the barriers it creates, has emerged, perpetuating a belief that substance misuse is the result of a moral failing, experienced by "bad" or "weak" people. Continuation of this belief, especially when internalized by people who experience substance use disorder, leads to isolation and exclusion from the essential care and compassion afforded to those with other medical conditions. This collection aims to help combat this unsound belief.

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Content Description

30 interviews with full transcripts and audio. Interviews conducted by Melissa Arrien, Andrea Baxter, Reshma Arrington, Kandice Atismé, Jess Bigler, Savannah Eley, Emily Hamilton, Jay Hymas, Tim Keady, Lana Lichfield, Ashley Lund, Heidi Prestwich, Lisa Thompson, Maren Wright Voss, Shirley Wayman, Alise Williams Condie, and Ashley Yaugher.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Digital Collection found at Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis must be obtained from the Curator of the Fife Folklore Archives and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: USU_Folk Coll 72; Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis; Fife Folklore Archives, Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_Folk Coll 72, USUSCA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Collection is arranged into series by county and then by interview.

Acquisition Information

This project grew out of a partnership between USU Extension Health Extension: Advocacy, Research, & Teaching (HEART) team and USU Libraries' Special Collections and Archives, with support and training provided USU Kinesiology and Health Science Department. In August 2018, the HEART team partnered with USU Special Collections and Archives with the intent to create a project that involved and learned from those closest to Utah's opioid epidemic, individuals actively dependent on opioids, individuals in recovery, their family members, and services providers. Beginning with trainings in October 2018, interviews took place between June and December 2019, culminating in vetted transcripts hosted in this collection in January 2020. The project concludes with community conversations events, co-sponsored by Utah Humanities, in Utah, March–July 2020.

The project received a seed grant from USU Extension to support the collection of interviews, trainings, and community conversation events. USU Libraries funded trainings, the digital collection, and interview transcription. Project directors are Kandice Atismé, Randy Williams, and Dr. Ashley Yaugher. This project has received USU Institutional Review Board approval, Protocol Numbers 9685 and 10746. Principal Investigators: Randy Williams, Sandra Sulzer, Kandice Atismé, and Ashley Yaugher.

Processing Note

Processed in January of 2020

Related Materials

Companion project: The project team and community scholars created Voices of Resiliency: Utah Stories of Substance Use Disorder, Stigma, & Harm Reduction, five ethnographic comics focused on hope, harm reduction, and recovery. The stories shared in the comics are based on oral histories from USU Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis, which was partially inspired by Cache Valley Drug Court Oral History Project collection, 2016-2017. Research has shown that comics facilitate understanding and empathy through their simplified images which require readers to use their imaginations and place themselves in the story. When someone discloses their struggles with substances they are often stigmatized by family, friends, and even health care providers. One way to reduce this troubling effect is to make connections with those that have been stigmatized. Learning about others' personal experiences can help to restore their humanity and help decrease prejudice, harmful assumptions, and discriminatory actions. Comics are one way to provide this connection. The stories shared contain many sensitive topics that are not suitable for some audiences.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid/Register created by Paul Daybell
2020

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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