Co-Designing the PATH Harm Reduction Training for the Peer Workforce: A Community-Based Participatory Approach

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Workforce Development

Background:

• Opioid use disorder and overdose remain critical US public health issues.
• Peer Recovery Specialists (PRS) are vital in harm reduction but face significant stressors like stigma and burnout.
• Existing interventions inadequately address PRS workforce development and resilience needs in harm reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and co-design a training intervention (PATH) to strengthen harm reduction delivery and PRS workforce sustainability.
• To enhance PRS personal and job-related resources through education and case-based learning.
• To utilize a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework for culturally grounded intervention development.

Main Methods:

• PATH is a blended educational intervention comprising eLearning modules and an ECHO-based case discussion series.
• A Community Board (CB) of eight members with lived experience guided content prioritization through surveys and discussions.
• Cultural exchange surveys assessed collaboration, communication, and trust between CB members and researchers.

Main Results:

• Community Board deliberations centered "relational harm reduction" as a core theme.
• Four eLearning modules and refined ECHO priorities were developed, reflecting PRS needs and pragmatic work realities.
• High cultural exchange ratings indicated strong mutual respect, shared learning, and perceived impact.

Conclusions:

• Co-designing interventions with people with lived experience, using CBPR, yields culturally grounded and practice-ready workforce solutions.
• The PATH intervention demonstrates feasibility for strengthening harm reduction capacity and sustainability.
• Findings support a forthcoming pilot and clinical trial to evaluate PATH's impact on PRS workforce outcomes and service quality.