The KFL&A Community Drug Strategy Advisory Committee Seeks and Individual or Group to Develop and Implement Multimedia Educational Campaign

Monday, March 6, 2023,

Kingston

Request for Proposal for the Anti-Stigma Education Campaign

What Don’t You Know Campaign

The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Community Drug Strategy Advisory Committee (CDSAC) seeks an individual or group to develop and implement a multimedia educational campaign aimed to reduce the stigma associated with substance use in KFL&A.

BACKGROUND

The KFL&A CDSAC was formed in March 2017 in response to rising opioid overdose mortality rates across Canada, Ontario, and in the KFL&A region. Early on, CDSAC focused on engaging community partners to recognize the “opioid crisis” and to develop a community response strategy. Since 2019, the CDSAC’s work shifted to addressing the drug poisoning crisis, a broader issue impacted by the changing unregulated drug market.  

Using a Collective Impact approach, the CDSAC identified priority areas of focus, which included addressing the way in which people who use substances are treated by the community.

Community partners identified that what was really needed was a reduction in substance use stigma because stigma is a barrier to achieving social and health wellbeing outcomes for members of our community. 

Why Address Substance Use Stigma?

Substance use stigma permeates the health system, adversely impacting people who use substances (PWUS). According to Public Health Agency of Canada (2020), “[s]ubstance use stigma is prevalent throughout the health system and contributes to poorer quality of care and negative health outcomes.”¹ The key drivers of stigma include the widespread view that substance use, and its related harms are the results of individual choice, weakness, immorality, or lack of willpower.¹ Stigmatizing views can lead PWUS to avoid accessing health and social services and conceal their substance use disorder, making them more vulnerable to homelessness.^2,3,4 Ultimately, differences in health outcomes can be explained by how people are treated, how the stigma of certain conditions can be a barrier to accessing health services, and how stigma results in preventable and adverse health outcomes for marginalized communities.²  

Like many communities, substance use stigma is widespread in KFL&A. In 2021, the Integrated Care Hub (ICH), an agency providing low barrier and wrap-around services to vulnerable members of the community, conducted research demonstrating that staff and patrons are routinely experiencing stigmatizing comments, threats, and political decisions.⁵ For example, patrons and staff of the Integrated Care Hub receive death threats, drive by taunts such as “Junkie, Loser, Dirt Bag, Crackhead, Garbage, Animal”, and unsympathetic advice such as “Just don’t do drugs”; “Why don’t you get a job.” PWUS feel judged and misunderstood and feel that the community is unaware of how to support them or at minimum, treat them with respect and dignity. Stigma actively hinders the recovery of PWUS influencing negative health outcomes and impacting the social and emotional wellbeing of PWUS. Another local study demonstrated that a sub-set of emergency department patients felt stigmatized when presenting to the emergency department because they were labelled as “drug seekers”.  As such, they reported not receiving accessible and acceptable care.

The ‘What Don’t You Know’ Campaign

Given the pervasive nature of stigma against PWUS both locally and more broadly, the KFL&A Community Drug Strategy Advisory Committee intends to develop and implement a multimedia educational campaign to address substance use stigma in KFL&A. The campaign intends to reach the broader KFL&A community to:

1. Increase knowledge about the spectrum of substance use.
2. Increase understanding of substance use stigma and how it impacts PWUS.
3. Increase understanding about how to support PWUS

Messaging objectives are focused on promoting understanding and compassion by increasing meaningful engagement with the stories of people with lived and living experience of substance use. PWLLE will share their stories via video interviews to humanize substance use by sharing how stigma has impacted their wellness. The intent of this campaign is to increase the KFL&A community’s baseline understanding of substance use (who it impacts, how and why) and increasing meaningful engagement with people with lived and living experience. Table 1 below maps campaign goals and goal details. Ultimately, this campaign will be launched in the KFL&A region to build a foundation for more focused education and deeper dialogue around substance use.   

Table 1 - Campaign goals and objectives

SERVICE REQUIREMENT

This RFP is to select a supplier to develop and implement a multimedia educational campaign, and accompanying campaign materials, targeting the KFL&A community. The campaign will be implemented in the KFL&A region using communication outlets and methods that will support messaging and garner the greatest impact. The selected vendor will be expected to use health communication best practices. The KFL&A CDSAC’s Stigma and Education Working Group will be responsible for supporting the vendor to apply a culturally relevant and trauma informed lens throughout the campaign lifecycle (Table 2). The successful vendor will work with the project team to develop the creative concept of campaign components.

Table 2 – Timelines for Campaign Development

BUDGET

Not to exceed $21, 500 CDN for the project spanning March to July then October to November 2023 and must include all costs and estimates for services, production costs and traditional and social media buys.

RFP DELIVERABLES

The comprehensive educational campaign will include but may not be limited to the following deliverables:

Phase 1 - Planning: Creative concept development (March 2023)

• Brand Strategy using the Support Not Stigma brand and logo as a starting point
• Multiple creative concepts for approval based on Support Not Stigma brand
• Incorporation of interview videos developed by Spark SLC of PWUS
• Vendor to help identify KFL&A community educational strategy (e.g., key messages, scripts, and storyboards)

Phase 2 – Planning: Brand refinement and campaign message refinement (March-April 2023)

• Creative concepts reviewed and approved by Stigma and Education Working Group

Phase 3 – Planning: Media Strategy Development (March – April 2023)

• Media strategy that includes but may not be limited to:
  • Social and digital media assets, if applicable
  • Branded social media accounts, if applicable
  • Community engagement, if applicable
  • Monitoring plan
  • All design and video files to be provided in both final editable format (i.e., InDesign) as well as user friendly format (i.e., jpeg)
  • Metrics for social media, website, and other campaign assets

Phase 4 – Planning and Pre-Closing: Focus Group (mid-May, 2023)

• Assemble focus group to administer pre-/post-campaign knowledge and attitude questions to determine impact of campaign messaging.

Phase 5 - Execution: Campaign launch (May 31, 2023)

Phase 6 – Maintenance and Monitoring: Campaign management by Vendor (June-July 2023 then Oct-Nov 2023)

• Media strategy implementation

Phase 7 - Closing: Evaluation (Dec 2023)

• To be completed by project team with metric support from Vendor

Relationship between Vendor and Stigma and Education Working Group

• The project team, Stigma and Education Working Group, will be consulted as substance use content experts.
• The project team will advise on and provide culturally relevant, and trauma informed lens for the campaign.
• The project team will provide stories of people with lived and living experience of substance use via video interviews.  
• Vendor will provide communications expertise and advise on appropriate messaging, communication methods, outlets, and evaluation.
• Vendor will work in collaboration with the project team to solicit feedback and adjust approach, as necessary.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE MUST HAVE:

• Extensive experience in campaign planning and collaborating with multiple stakeholders to achieve a common objective.
• Ability to present draft campaign options to the project team, receive feedback and make adjustments, as required.
• Ability to meet timelines, and budget, in accordance with industry quality standards.
• Availability to begin work based on project schedule outlined above and ability to accommodate the schedules of multiple stakeholders.
• Consideration for the experiences of people who use substances.
• Capable of working with project team in a collaborative manner

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

• A detailed plan and description of how the requested deliverables will be executed.
• A breakdown of all costs including total cost for contract.
• The names and contact information of two references, preferably health and/or social services related clients.
• Information from all consultants that would be working on the project that clearly demonstrates the above noted requirements.

PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF ANY WORK, THE FOLLOWING SHALL BE PROVIDED TO KFL&A Public Health:

1.Workplace Safety & Insurance Board

Proof of registration as an employer with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and a valid clearance certificate from the WSIB confirming same OR proof of Independent Contractor status with WSIB, certifying that the contractor is an independent operator running its own business and is not required to be registered for or to contribute to an account with WSIB for its business.

2.Insurance

Certificate(s) of general liability and professional liability (errors and omissions), including liability insurance for any accidents that may happen, in the amount of $2 million dollars, showing KFL&A Public Health as an Additional Insured.

3.Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

Provide evidence of compliance with the requirements of Section 6 of Ontario Regulation 429/07, Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. Further details regarding the legislation can be found on the Ministry of Community and Social Services website at www.accessON.ca or by contacting KFL&A Public Health’s AODA Compliance Supervisor at (613) 549-1232 or 1-800-267-7875 x1262.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS IS: March 14^th, 2023 at 4:00pm.

Please submit proposals via email to:

Anoushka Moucessian, Public Health Promoter

Substance Use Health and Mental Wellbeing Team

KFL&A Public Health

221 Portsmouth Avenue

Kingston, Ontario

K7M 1V5

Amoucessian@kflaph.ca

PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR DETERMINATION OF SCHEDULES

CONTACT:

Questions regarding the project may be directed via email to the person below and will be answered via email within 24 hours:

Anoushka Moucessian, Public Health Promoter

Substance Use Health and Mental Wellbeing Team

KFL&A Public Health

221 Portsmouth Avenue

Kingston, Ontario

K7M 1V5

Amoucessian@kflaph.ca

REFERENCES

1. Public Health Agency of Canada (2020). A primer to reduce substance use stigma in the Canadian health system [document on Internet]. Cited January 18, 2023. Available from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/primer-reduce-substance-use-stigma-health-system.html   
2. Public Health Agency of Canada (2019). Addressing Stigma: Towards a More Inclusive Health System. [document on Internet]. Cited January 18, 2023. Available from https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/corporate/publications/chief-public-health-officer-reports-state-public-health-canada/addressing-stigma-what-we-heard/stigma-eng.pdf
3. Livingston, J., Milne, T., Fang, M., Amari, E. (2011). Effectiveness of interventions for reducing stigma related to substance use disorders: a systematic review. Addiction 107: 39-50.
4. Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. Language primer [document on Internet]. Cited January 18, 2023. Available from https://ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-09/CCSA-Language-and-Stigma-in-Substance-Use-Addiction-Guide-2019-en.pdf
5. Christmas, C. (2021). Integrated Care Hub: Crystal meth, opiates, overdose, and housing in Kingston, Ontario, 2021 Rapid Assessment and Response Community Needs Assessment. Available from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IH7krMFUX9YrhwTZXzbU606PhbBXOUy0/view
6. Purkey E. et al (2020). Experiences of emergency department use among personal with a history of adverse childhood experiences. BMC Health Services Research, 20:455. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32448175/