Toolkit Background and Development
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Using Near Real-Time Data to Enhance Coordinated Community Responses to Opioid Overdose
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) funded a pilot project in Washtenaw County, Michigan to determine how near real-time suspected non-fatal and fatal opioid overdose data, through the use of SOS data reports, can be used to improve planning, implementation, and responses to opioid overdoses. The project was conducted by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention-funded University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center and the Washtenaw County Health Department.
This six-month long mixed methods project proceeded by convening community stakeholders involved in opioid overdose response and prevention efforts prevention efforts in Washtenaw County, MI. Throughout the project, stakeholder feedback and data usage practices were elicited through a combination of focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and surveys.
Through input from local content experts, we determined our stakeholder group with representation from communities across Washtenaw County. The community stakeholder group was comprised of individuals and organizations working in four sectors of the county.
Primary Project Activities
Baseline Stakeholder Interviews & Focus Group
Weekly SOS Reports Distributed for 2 months & Bi-Weekly Surveys
Final Stakeholder Interviews & Focus Group
Creation of Community Toolkit on Promising Strategies
Qualitative Coding & Analysis
Key Stakeholders
Public health stakeholders included individuals working at the local health department.
Public safety stakeholders were made up of individuals from local police and the sheriff’s department.
Treatment provider stakeholders were composed of in- and out-patient substance use disorder treatment facility workers.
Community outreach stakeholders were representative of organizations involved in overdose outreach work such as community naloxone administration, housing support, and harm reduction services.
Interviewing Stakeholders, Reporting Findings, and Enhancing Overdose Response
Stakeholders convened for an initial focus group and individual 1-on-1 interviews to identify: 1) How near real-time suspected opioid overdose reports can be used to inform prevention and response, 2) Barriers to prevention and response, and 3) Effective methods to coordinate a community-level response strategy.
Stakeholders then received near real-time opioid overdose reports for their jurisdiction on a weekly basis for eight weeks, and their feedback was solicited over time through biweekly surveys. They received countywide reports as well as those for select cities within their jurisdiction. A final focus group and final one-on-one interviews emphasized the mobilization of data-driven coordinated community responses through near real-time reports.
The opioid overdose response recommendations presented within this toolkit are the results of our team’s qualitative coding and thematic analysis of the data collected from community stakeholders. This toolkit is broken up into sections based on the community stakeholder sectors defined above. Within each of the individual stakeholder sectors we include promising opioid overdose response and prevention strategies, as well as barriers impacting response and prevention efforts. Sections describe how, if at all, near real-time data may help to enhance promising strategies or mitigate barriers.
Funding Disclosures
Research reported herein was supported by a grant to the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Award Numbers R49-CE-002099 and R49-CE-003085, and by a grant to the Washtenaw County Health Department from the National Association of County and City Health Officials, Number 6NU38OT000306-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
Acknowledgements
This toolkit was developed by members of the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center and the Washtenaw County Health Department in collaboration with individuals and organizations participating in opioid overdose response and prevention efforts in Washtenaw County. We would like to give special thanks to the organizations who participated in the community stakeholder group without whose contributions this work would not be possible.