Arizona Public Health / Public Safety Initiative – “STOP-IT Campaign”

The School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce (STOP-IT), sponsored by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), is working to standardize opioid overdose prevention and response in Arizona schools. Without standard policies in place, many schools either lack access to naloxone or follow inconsistent guidelines for its storage, administration and training. According to the Arizona […]
Collaboration Improves Data Quality and Access to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) in South Dakota

The South Dakota Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team has made significant progress in expanding access to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) and improving data quality through strong collaboration at local and state levels. Before 2022, ODMAP participation in South Dakota was limited to just three local agencies and two state agencies. Today, 61 […]
“Safety on the Move” Initiative in Partnership with North Florida ORS Team

The North Florida Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team partnered in June 2024 with Drug Free Duval, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and the Community Coalition Alliance (CCA) to launch “Safety on the Move,” a Northeast Florida region initiative. This innovative program addresses the opioid crisis through targeted interventions, lifesaving training and strategic collaboration. “Safety on […]
Introduction of Naloxone in Wake County Schools

The North Carolina Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team, in collaboration with community leaders, worked to introduce naloxone into the Wake County School System—the largest in North Carolina, serving approximately 160,000 students across 208 schools—to inspire other school districts to follow suit. After extensive discussions to secure administrative approval, the school administration agreed to place naloxone […]
Incorporating a Population Health Lens to Better Inform and Respond to Overdose

Incorporating a population health lens is crucial to understand community needs, address disparities and develop effective overdose prevention and response strategies. To better inform outreach and overdose response efforts, the Kansas Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team integrated socioeconomic indicators and resource data into the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) and Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) […]
New York ORS Team Develops Comprehensive Framework to Support Implementation of Law Enforcement Leave Behind Naloxone Programs

In New York State, law enforcement agencies often face challenges accessing information and resources to support leave-behind naloxone implementation. While several pathways exist for obtaining naloxone, there is no centralized platform for registration or comprehensive guidance to navigate these options. In response, the NY Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team collaborated with a partner from Albany […]
2nd Annual Juneteenth in Bismarck/Rollout of QR code

In 2022, the Black/African American population in North Dakota made up approximately 3.8% of the state’s population, according to U.S. Census data.1 However, from January to August 2024, preliminary data revealed that 10.61% of the state’s drug overdose fatalities occurred among the Black population in the state according to data collected through the ND Violent […]
Kansas PHA Receives Special Achievement in GIS Award at Esri User Conference

Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) agencies can benefit from tools that enhance data use and incorporate a population health lens in decision-making. To support this work, the Kansas Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team created a new demographics layer in ArcGIS Online, Esri’s web-based mapping software. This layer, which became an embedded ODMAP layer, includes […]
Expand Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs) Access to Timely Overdose Data

When Recovery Community Organization (RCO) leaders requested more timely information on overdose increases in their areas of responsibility, the Georgia Public Health Analyst (PHA) recommended that the organization sign up for spike alerts from the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP). Working with the RCO Development Program Manager for the state, the GA PHA organized […]
CBS News Reports on NJ Department of Health Tianeptine Health Alert

The emergence of tianeptine, a prescription drug used for depression but not approved for use in the U.S. and labeled as “potentially dangerous” due to its association with addiction and fatal overdoses, raised alarms in New Jersey. The New Jersey Poison Control Center alerted state health officials to a series of poisonings linked to tianeptine […]