Explore video and audio recordings, talking points, and a How-To
Guide to APHA’s Bridging Framework—a narrative structure that
can help you make a difference.
Collective Messaging Framework
Think of the collective messaging framework as a guide for
broadening better understanding of the connection between
ACEs, overdose and suicide. It is designed to communicate
the need to break down silos to address these three health
issues more effectively. As such, the collective messaging
framework:
Provides messages about ACEs, overdose and suicide that
strengthen the work of experts in each of these individual
issues.
Advances an overarching narrative that ACEs, overdose and
suicide are urgent, related and preventable public health
challenges and are rooted in public health inequities.
Empowers subject matter experts to inform stakeholder
decisions toward effective, prevention-focused public
health policies, approaches and funding.
Core Message
Adverse childhood experiences, overdose and suicide are
urgent and related public health challenges.
While these challenges have consequences for all of us,
some communities are more affected than others due to
systemic barriers, like a lack of resources or
opportunities.
These challenges are preventable if we adopt a
coordinated and equitable approach that focuses on
addressing today’s crises while preventing tomorrow’s.
Urgent
Exposure to ACEs, overdose and suicide are
urgent public health challenges confronting every
community in the country. These challenges contribute to
shortened life span, lower quality of life, rising health
care costs, lost economic productivity and strain on our
social service system that affect all of us. This urgency is
heightened by
trauma passed down from one generation to another and
by lack of public investment in some communities.
This makes existing health challenges worse and makes it
harder to seek preventive or lifesaving resources.
Related
These challenges are related because exposure to ACEs
is associated with increased risk of overdose and suicide
later in life. And for children, because losing a loved one
to suicide or overdose is an ACE, future overdose or suicide
risk grows. As such, ACEs, overdose and suicide are each
associated with the other, and the impact can last across
generations. People who are affected by substance use and
suicide early in life are also disproportionately affected
by systems inequities, like structural racism. This leads to
health inequities, or the uneven distribution of social and economic
resources that impact an individual’s health.
Preventable
Fortunately, these three crises are preventable if we
take a comprehensive public health approach that addresses
the complex and often related challenges that impact health
disparities. By building on community strengths—and focusing
not just on treatment but also on awareness building and
prevention strategies that fit the community—we can meet the
immediate needs of those already affected today while
preventing future risk and adverse health outcomes tomorrow.
Approach
We need a coordinated approach to
ensure equity in policies, programs and services that
build on the strengths of individuals, families and
communities while reducing the disparities that increase
risk for some more than others. This can happen when we:
Increase understanding of the causes and impact,
and better coordinate across treatment and prevention
fields.
Engage a broad movement of champions and change
agents in communities.
Invest in research and evaluation to better
understand what works, why and for whom.
Implement
successful treatment and prevention strategies
that are adapted for specific cultural contexts.
This messaging framework helps you create talking points to
bridge to the collective message framework from more
topic-specific messaging. It also helps you build out talking
points from this collective message framework to focus on your
particular topic in more depth. Explore some examples of this
below.
Bridging TO the Collective Messaging Framework
(after having shared talking points based on one of the
three topics)
“Today, we’ve been talking about [ACEs/overdose/suicide],
and I’m glad we’ve had the chance to focus on it
specifically. I’d also like to take this opportunity to talk
about the bigger picture since we believe more progress can
be made on [ACEs/overdose/suicide] by thinking about it
holistically.”
(proceed with talking points adapted from the collective
message framework)
Bridging FROM the Collective Messaging Framework
(after having shared talking points based on the collective
message framework)
“I hope this context has helped explain why we focus on
addressing all three of these issues together. Now, I’d like
to focus a bit more specifically on [ACEs/overdose/suicide]
and what we can do today to address it more effectively.”
(proceed with issue-specific talking points)
Examples in Practice
The Strengths of Shared Narratives to Change Policies
During APHA's Annual Meeting, Jonah Cunningham,
Government Relations Manager with Trust for America's
Health (TFAH), discusses how using the shared messaging
strategy to communicate with key stakeholders provides
an opportunity to shift away from only focusing on ACEs,
overdose, and suicide as separate issues. Instead,
elevating their connection can help public health to
reimagine how to address these issues as a collective
through programs, funding, and partnerships.
Use the tool below to generate basic talking points to use in
your work. Choose the direction you want to use (to the
messaging framework or from the messaging framework) and the
particular topic area you want to focus on, then click
“generate” to see your talking points.
We know that ACEs can impact the way a child’s brain develops
and functions and have serious impacts on lifelong health and
opportunities. ACEs are associated with at least five of the
10 leading causes of death, including a significant
relationship to future risk of attempted
suicide.1,2,3 ACEs are also associated with
younger opioid initiation, injection drug use, misuse, and
overdose.3 Additionally, for children, losing
a loved one to suicide or overdose are ACEs, and these
experiences, in turn, increase the risk of future overdose or
suicide.4 By understanding and addressing
these urgent, related, and preventable issues in the context
of each other, we can prevent exposure and harm to future
generations.
Opioid use disorder and opioid misuse are devastating,
wide-ranging public health issues facing every community in
the nation. These issues are also closely related to two other
pressing health concerns: adverse childhood experiences, or
ACEs, and suicide. ACEs are potentially traumatic events that
occur in childhood, and such experiences are associated with
younger opioid initiation, injection drug use, lifetime opioid
misuse, and overdose.1 Opioid use disorder is
associated with a significant increase in suicidal ideation,
and opioid misuse is closely associated with suicide planning
and attempts.5 Additionally, for children,
losing a loved one to suicide or overdose are ACEs, and these
experiences, in turn, increase the risk of future overdose or
suicide.2 By understanding and addressing
these urgent, related, and preventable issues in the context
of each other, we can prevent exposure and harm to future
generations.
We know that suicide is a significant, growing problem in the
United States. It is also closely linked to two other serious
public health concerns: adverse childhood experiences, or
ACEs, and overdose. ACEs are potentially traumatic events that
occur in childhood. ACEs can change the way a child’s brain
develops and functions and are associated with at least five
of the 10 leading causes of death, including the future risk
of attempted suicide.1,2,6 ACEs are also
associated with younger opioid initiation, injection drug use,
lifetime opioid misuse, and overdose.3 Opioid
use disorder is associated with a significant increase in
suicidal ideation, and opioid misuse is closely associated
with suicide planning and attempts.5 Additionally,
for children, losing a loved one to suicide or overdose are
ACEs, and these experiences, in turn, increase the risk of
future overdose or suicide.4
By understanding and addressing these urgent, related, and
preventable issues in the context of each other, we can
prevent exposure and harm to future generations.
Understanding the context of the interrelation between adverse
childhood experiences, overdose, and suicide can help us
prevent exposure and harm to future generations, which is why
the APHA and CDC are focused on addressing these three issues
together. Now, I’d like to focus more specifically on ACEs and
what we can do today to help children and adults thrive
tomorrow.
(proceed with talking points related to ACEs)
Understanding the context of the interrelation between adverse
childhood experiences, overdose, and suicide can help us
prevent exposure and harm to future generations, which is why
APHA and CDC are focused on addressing these three issues
together. Now, I’d like to focus more specifically on
preventing overdose and other opioid-related harms.
(proceed with talking points related to overdose prevention)
Understanding the context of the interrelation between adverse
childhood experiences, overdose, and suicide can help us
prevent exposure and harm to future generations, which is why
APHA and CDC are focused on addressing these three issues
together. Now, I’d like to focus more specifically on
preventing suicide.
(proceed with talking points related to suicide prevention)
