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) mapping tools by developing demographic layers. The OFR Tool enables users to visualize the proximity of these resources to overdose locations and generate infographics that highlight key socioeconomic data. This functionality has become integral to the OFR process in Reno County, KS, allowing the OFR review board to better understand overdose outcomes and make more informed recommendations for improving community health.

When the Illinois ORS team sought to address community needs and highlight disparities through enhanced data visualization, the team partnered with the KS PHA to adapt that work for IL by launching new mapping overlays. The Illinois ORS team trained partners across the state to utilize six new updates and two new layers on ODMAP, including a naloxone saturation layer initially piloted in Chicago. With support from the Kansas PHA, the IL ORS team also added several additional layers to their data toolkit, such as locations of lodging facilities, gas stations, shelters, apartments and substance use and mental health services. These updates were shared through webinars for state partners, virtual presentations, in-person trainings and highlighted at the Illinois Prevention Summit, reaching 130 decision-makers across the state. Furthermore, the Illinois ORS team intends to launch a Data Academy with partners across the state where persons with lived experience will be trained to use these data overlays to share their community’s story and guide their community’s decision-making and prioritization efforts to reduce health gaps. This initiative will elevate populations of focus to use data effectively, guiding community decisions and improving outcomes.

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 additional data, such as socioeconomic indicators, to better inform outreach, education and response plans.

With this demographics layer, organizations can identify the language resources needed in specific areas, pinpoint communities at higher risk of overdose and recognize prevalent types of trauma. To further assist stakeholders, the KS ORS team created 16 additional layers which became the Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Tool, covering data including but not limited to lodging facilities, schools, correctional facilities, pharmacies and more. Combined, these layers help users identify overdose spike locations and target naloxone distribution more efficiently.

In July 2024, the KS Public Health Analyst (PHA) attended the Esri User Conference in San Diego, California, where he received the Special Achievement in GIS Award. This award, given by Esri leadership, recognizes his impactful work in aiding community responses to the opioid epidemic through the development of GIS tools.

The Kansas PHA’s contributions, along with those of other awardees, have set new standards in the GIS community.