The Process and Cost of Developing a Community Advisory Board Focused on Opioid Overdose Deaths

Background: We describe the Community Advisory Board (CAB) development and costing processes employed by The Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEALing) Communities Study, Massachusetts (HCS-MA). The actual process and costs associated with establishing a CAB representative of people who use drugs have not been published. Methods: A participatory process was used to identify and recruit CAB members. Health economics costing strategies were used to develop an understanding of the economic costs associated with developing the CAB. Results: A statewide CAB composed of 23 persons was created. The 6-month total costs, including personnel costs (both study staff and CAB members) and administrative costs (e.g., meeting costs) were $49,615. Conclusion: Results indicate intentional outreach can leverage existing community ties to develop CABs that are representative of communities but necessitate a focus on equitable resource allocation.