Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives
Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis
Atismé, Kandice.
Yaugher, Ashley.
Williams, Randy, 1961-
UUS_Folk Coll 72
30 interviews
1.9 gigabytes
2019-2020
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.
Material in English
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.
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.
Collection is arranged into series by county and then by interview.
Digital Collection found at Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis
No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
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.
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.
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.
Processed in January of 2020
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.
Woolf, Audrey.
Salas, Charli.
Haskie-Higbee, Courtney.
Garcia, Destiny.
Gaddis, Francis.
Lewis, Heather.
Warr, Heidi.
Cox, Hyrum.
Hymas, Jay.
Harris, Jennifer.
Hakala, Jessie.
Scheller, John.
Burningham, Jordan.
Lundgreen, Kade.
Washburn, Karen.
Udy, Kimberly.
Hymas, Lauren.
Thompson, Lisa.
Hetes, Meghan.
Norton, Melanie.
Hansen, Melissa.
Hamilton, Patricia.
Alverson, Patrick.
Eley, Savannah.
Olsson, Sheila.
Box Elder County--Utah
Cache County--Utah
Carbon County--Utah
Davis County--Utah
Emery County--Utah
Salt Lake County--Utah
Tooele County--Utah
Utah County--Utah
Weber County--Utah
Oral Histories
Utah
Oral Histories
Disease
Opioid abuse--Utah--Interviews
Medication abuse--Utah--Prevention
Drug abuse
Opioids
Opioid abuse--Treatment
Opioid-Related Disorders
Chronic pain--Treatment
Pain Management
Sound Recordings
Interviews
Transcripts
1. Box Elder County
Christian interview (audio)
Item 1
2019 June 12
Christian interview (transcript)
Item 2
2019 June 12
Meghan Hetes interview (audio)
Item 3
2019 June 12
Meghan Hetes interview (transcript)
Item 4
2019 June 12
2. Cache County
Jay Hymas interview (audio)
Item 1
2019 June 26
Jay Hymas interview (transcript)
Item 2
2019 June 26
John Scheller interview (audio)
Item 3
2019 June 19
John Scheller interview (transcript)
Item 4
2019 June 19
Karen Washburn interview (audio)
Item 5
2019 July 09
Karen Washburn interview (transcript)
Item 6
2019 July 09
Kimberly Udy interview (audio)
Item 7
2019 August 14
Kimberly Udy interview (transcript)
Item 8
2019 August 14
Lauren Hymas interview (audio)
Item 9
2019 June 19
Lauren Hymas interview (transcript)
Item 10
2019 June 19
Melanie Norton interview (audio)
Item 11
2019 July 03
Melanie Norton interview (transcript)
Item 12
2019 July 03
Sam interview (audio)
Item 13
2019 June 26
Sam interview (transcript)
Item 14
2019 June 26
3. Carbon County
Geni H., Tiffany H., Shawn H. interview (audio)
Item 1
2019 June 24
Geni H., Tiffany H., Shawn H. interview (transcript)
Item 2
2019 June 24
Patricia Hamilton interview (transcript)
Item 3
2019 October 31
Sheila Olsson interview (audio)
Item 4
2019 August 05
Sheila Olsson interview (transcript)
Item 5
2019 August 05
4. Davis County
Audrey Woolf interview (audio)
Item 1
2019 June 04
Audrey Woolf interview (transcript)
Item 2
2019 June 04
Jordan Burningham interview (audio)
Item 3
2019 June 18
Jordan Burningham interview (transcript)
Item 4
2019 June 18
Kade Lundgreen interview (audio)
Item 5
2019 September 10
Kade Lundgreen interview (transcript)
Item 6
2019 September 10
Melissa Hansen interview (audio)
Item 7
2019 August 28
Melissa Hansen interview (transcript)
Item 8
2019 August 28
5. Emery County
Courtney Haskie-Higbee interview (audio)
Item 1
2019 August 09
Courtney Haskie-Higbee interview (transcript)
Item 2
2019 August 09
Savannah Eley interview (audio)
Item 3
2019 July 02
Savannah Eley interview (transcript)
Item 4
2019 July 02
6. Salt Lake County
Barry interview (audio)
Item 1
2019 October 18
Barry interview (transcript)
Item 2
2019 October 18
Destiny Garcia interview (audio)
Item 3
2019 September 12
Destiny Garcia interview (transcript)
Item 4
2019 September 12
7. Tooele County
Allison interview (audio)
Item 1
2019 September 11
Allison interview (transcript)
Item 2
2019 September 11
Francis Gaddis interview (audio)
Item 3
2019 August 21
Francis Gaddis interview (transcript)
Item 4
2019 August 21
Heidi Warr interview (audio)
Item 5
2019 July 25
Heidi Warr interview (transcript)
Item 6
2019 July 25
Jennifer Harris interview (audio)
Item 7
2019 August 21
Jennifer Harris interview (transcript)
Item 8
2019 August 21
8. Utah County
Heather Lewis interview (audio)
Item 1
2019 October 31
Heather Lewis interview (transcript)
Item 2
2019 October 31
Hyrum Cox interview (audio)
Item 3
2019 October 31
Hyrum Cox interview (transcript)
Item 4
2019 October 31
Jessie Hakala interview (audio)
Item 5
2019 July 30
Jessie Hakala interview (transcript)
Item 6
2019 July 30
Patrick Alverson interview (audio)
Item 7
2019 July 30
Patrick Alverson interview (transcript)
Item 8
2019 July 30
9. Weber County
Charli Salas interview (audio)
Item 1
2020 January 30
Charli Salas interview (transcript)
Item 2
2020 January 30
Lisa Thompson interview (audio)
Item 3
2019 June 26
Lisa Thompson interview (transcript)
Item 4
2019 June 06
10. Voices of Resiliency: Utah Stories of Substance Use Disorder, Stigma, & Harm Reduction
The stories told by the comics in this series are based on oral histories from Utah State University's digital collection, "Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opiod Crisis". This collection contains the personal experiences of Utahns who have experienced stubstance use disorder, and contain many sensitive topics that are not suitable for some audiences.
How can we help? A guide to Substance Use Disorder, Stigma, and Harm Reduction
Vol. 1
November 2022
1
1
There is hope out there
Vol. 2
November 2022
1
2
It's up to us
Vol. 3
November 2022
1
3
Another chance
Vol. 4
November 2022
1
4
What I hold sacred
Vol. 5
November 2022
1
5
Foreword
June 2022
1
6
Afterword
June 2022
1
7