As 2025 ended, Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy’s Center for Opioid Research, Education, and Outreach (COACH) ended the year with expanding impact and a renewed commitment to supporting Alabamians affected by substance use disorder. At a time when opioid overdoses and emerging drug trends continue to strain communities across the state, COACH’s role as a science‑driven public health center has never been more vital. This past year marked significant expansion, innovation and statewide collaboration for the team.
One of COACH’s most notable achievements was its growing footprint in K–12 prevention education. Over the past 12 months, COACH team members presented in schools across Alabama, reaching thousands of students with developmentally aligned programming designed to prevent and reduce risk long before substance use begins. The program’s newest initiative, K-5 targeted curriculum and early learning activities, equips teachers with story‑based lessons, skills‑building exercises and approachable tools that introduce emotional literacy, healthy decision‑making and early help‑seeking behaviors. These foundations are essential in delaying the early initiation of substance use and strengthening protective factors that follow children into adolescence. COACH’s K-12 curriculum is available at no charge to Alabama school systems and other groups serving this age group via the center’s website.
Partnership development also became a defining theme of 2025. COACH strengthened its engagement with educational leaders by becoming a sustaining member of the Alabama Association of School Boards, deepening statewide alignment around student well‑being and prevention. In the healthcare sphere, COACH collaborated with the Alabama Pharmacists Association to deliver nine substance-use‑disorder‑focused presentations during the 2025 regional meetings. These sessions equipped pharmacists, essential frontline professionals addressing the opioid epidemic, with strategies for identifying misuse, supporting patients in crisis and connecting individuals and families to local resources.
Looking ahead, COACH has developed a robust suite of 2026 continuing education offerings tailored for educators, healthcare providers, and community professionals. The new Pathways to Prevention regional conference series, expanding across Alabama, will stop in four cities. The conferences aim to provide tailored educational content and specialized training for healthcare providers and mental health professionals, centered on two key demographics: young adults (18–25) and older adults (55+). Complementing these events is a yearlong lineup of webinars exploring timely topics such as vaping, gas station drugs, medicinal cannabis, psychedelics, ketamine, naloxone and other pressing substance use disorder issues facing the state.
In August 2026, COACH will host two large‑scale Substance Misuse Summits, one in Mobile and one in Huntsville. These events will provide identical interdisciplinary programming, ensuring equitable access for participants statewide. The summits will convene leaders, practitioners, and community partners to share best practices, examine emerging data, and strengthen coordinated responses to substance misuse and the opioid crisis.
As 2025 concluded, one message rang clear: COACH remains unwavering in its commitment to serving Alabamians day in and day out. With an expanding K–12 footprint, strengthened partnerships, and a bold, statewide vision for the coming year, COACH is poised to continue driving meaningful, transformative impact in the fight against substance use disorder and the opioid crisis--one community at a time.
