“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 Bismark/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 […]
Supporting Law Enforcement with Trauma Training
According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 90 percent of law enforcement officers identify stigma as a major barrier to seeking mental health support.1 This stigma, combined with the nature of law enforcement work, can make it difficult for officers to acknowledge and address their own trauma. Many officers receive training on stigma but […]
The Handle with Care Program Expands to 611 Law Enforcement Agencies and 563 School Districts throughout Missouri
The Handle with Care (HWC) program is designed to help children exposed to a potentially traumatic situation by ensuring they receive appropriate interventions to support their academic success and potentially divert them from entering Missouri’s juvenile justice system. But the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association (MJJA) faced challenges in expanding HWC due to limited staff and […]
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 […]