The MDH Navigator Toolkit was developed to equip patient navigators across healthcare settings with the essential knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to connect people who use drugs to the care of their choice. Navigators play a critical role in bridging gaps in harm reduction, treatment, and care, particularly for populations facing barriers such as financial hardship, social vulnerability, stigma, structural racism, and other systemic inequities which can increase overdose risk.
The toolkit – free to download, customize, and use by anyone – provides structured guidance on best practices in patient/client engagement, resource coordination, and advocacy. By standardizing training and providing evidence-based strategies, the toolkit enhances the consistency and quality of navigator-led interventions. It also promotes a person-centered approach, ensuring that navigators can address the diverse needs of the communities they serve with cultural competence and sensitivity.
Please email the MDH Drug Overdose Prevention Unit if you have any questions about the toolkit or patient navigation: health.drugodprev@state.mn.us
