The Challenge
Rural communities across Region 15 (Colorado’s Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, and Park Counties) faced the opioid crisis under uniquely difficult conditions. Geographic isolation, limited treatment availability, workforce shortages, and transportation barriers made accessing care harder than in urban areas. At the same time, stigma surrounding substance use disorder ran deep in small communities where privacy is limited and fear of judgment can prevent people from seeking help.
Many residents did not see treatment as accessible or meant for them. Misconceptions about addiction, recovery, and medication-assisted treatment continued to reinforce silence and delay care. Region 15 needed a campaign that could reduce stigma, normalize recovery, and connect people to local treatment and support in ways that felt credible, respectful, and relevant to rural life.
The challenge was not only to raise awareness, but to create trust and open the door to treatment in communities where asking for help often feels risky.
Our Approach
SE2 partnered with the Region 15 Opioid Governance Committee to develop a stigma-reduction and treatment awareness campaign grounded in real stories, rural identity, and harm-reduction principles.
The campaign centered on storytelling that reflected the lived experiences of people in recovery, family members, and community members. Creative featured real voices and plainspoken language, reinforcing that recovery is possible and that people who use drugs are neighbors, parents, workers, and friends. Messaging emphasized dignity, connection, and hope rather than fear or shame.
To reach rural audiences effectively, SE2 deployed a multi-channel strategy that balanced scale with relevance. Paid media ran across Meta, Display, and YouTube, with creative optimized for mobile-first consumption. Display and social placements ensured repeated exposure in everyday digital environments, while video storytelling on YouTube allowed space for deeper engagement and emotional resonance.
Earned media amplified the campaign through trusted local outlets, helping normalize conversations about addiction and recovery within communities themselves. In parallel, SE2 supported the development and promotion of a campaign website that served as a central hub for treatment information and local resources. The site provided a clear, stigma-free pathway to help, designed to be accessible and easy to navigate for both English- and Spanish-speaking users.
Throughout the campaign, SE2 used performance data to guide optimization, ensuring resources were focused on the channels and creative approaches that resonated most with rural audiences.
The Impact
The Region 15 campaign demonstrated strong reach, engagement, and early signs of stigma reduction across rural communities. Key outcomes included:
- More than 3.1 million impressions delivered across paid media channels in the first month, providing broad regional visibility.
- Over 10,000 total clicks, with an overall 0.32% click-through rate, indicating strong engagement for a public health stigma-reduction campaign.
- Earned media coverage across local outlets, generating 23,000 impressions and reinforcing campaign messages through trusted rural news sources.
- More than 6,000 website visits to the campaign resource hub in the first month, creating a direct pathway to treatment information and local support.
Together, these results show that stigma-reduction messaging rooted in storytelling and rural realities can break through silence and connect people to care. The Region 15 campaign helped shift the narrative around opioid use from shame to support, reinforcing that recovery is possible and treatment is available, even in the most rural parts of Colorado.
