HEALing Communities Study
The National Institutes of Health funded a four-state research study, which includes Ohio, to test the impact of an integrated set of evidence-based interventions across health care, behavioral health, justice, and other community-based settings. The goal is to prevent and treat opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD) within highly affected communities in four states and reduce opioid related deaths by 40 percent over three years. The Center for HOPES is heading the Health Economics core for Ohio’s HEALing Communities Study project, coordinating a cost-effectiveness analysis for Ohio’s community engagement, evidence-based practice interventions, and communications strategies.
Overdose Data to Action
Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) is a multi-year project funded through a CDC grant aimed at increasing comprehensiveness and timeliness of surveillance data related to the overdose epidemic. The Center for HOPES is supporting the work of Franklin County Public Health, the CDC grantee, by 1) facilitating data conversations across Ohio State and the community about opioid overdose events, 2) creating “use cases” for geospatial data visualizations and analyses, and 3) integrating information across organizations into a unified tool for understanding the overdose epidemic in Franklin County.
This work involves adding layers to the Franklin County Opioid Crisis Activity Levels (FOCAL) Map using data obtained from data partners on the grant, including the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis, Mighty Crow, the College of Public Health, and the Central Ohio Trauma System. FOCAL Map is an interdisciplinary collaboration with researchers from across campus and stakeholders in the community to map opioid overdose incidents with high spatiotemporal resolution and visualize them in the context of relevant socioeconomic and administrative data. Adding layers to FOCAL Map will assist in building state and local capacity for public health prevention and response efforts determined to be promising based on research evidence. It will also make Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) easier to use and access and facilitate collaborations with health systems, insurers, and communities to improve opioid prescribing. It adds new work focused on linkages to care and other areas of innovation supported by evidence-based practice.
Ohio Youth Resilience Collaborative (OYRC)
The Center for HOPES serves as the lead evaluator for the Ohio Youth Resilience Collaborative (OYRC) (formerly Ohio PROSPER), a coalition of Extension Educators and researchers from OSU and Central State University, school districts across Ohio, and community stakeholders working to support youth and family mental health and well-being. The OYRC supports counties across the state in implementing evidence-based substance misuse prevention and mental health promotion programming.
Analyzing harm reduction program data
The Center for HOPES is working with Safe Point, a comprehensive harm reduction program, to analyze client intake data and provide technical assistance on data use. Using latent class analysis, Center researchers are developing client profiles to inform Safe Point stakeholders about who the program serves. We are also developing risk scores for overdoses, soft tissue infections, and blood-borne infections; support staff training in evaluation methods; and provide technical assistance in designing a program dashboard. This work is funded through the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Harm Reduction Grant.
Web Learning Series — Advancing Equity: Reproductive Health Services and Considerations for Women with Substance Use Disorders
Unintended pregnancy rates are high among women with substance use disorders (SUD), approaching eight of every 10 pregnancies among women using opioids, suggesting that women with SUD have significant unmet contraceptive needs. The Center for HOPES and the Center for Public Health Practice are co-hosting a six-part virtual learning series examining the intersection of addiction and reproductive health, and explore and promote best practices for advancing health equity and access to care among women with substance use disorders (SUD). National and Ohio-based experts are providing insights on integrated care models that are improving reproductive health care for women with SUD. This series is produced in partnership with Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Center for Community Solutions, Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and the Harm Reduction Coalition.
This free virtual series runs from July 15, 2020 through December 16, 2020. Register
Addressing the RH-SUD Dual Burden
In 2018, Ohio had the 2nd highest unintentional overdose death and 10th highest infant mortality rates in the United States. At the intersection of these public health crises are unmet reproductive health and substance use disorder care needs among women in Ohio. The dual burden of unmet reproductive health care and substance use disorder needs represents an under-attended area of public health policy, research, and practice. Building on the Advancing Equity webinar series, the Center for HOPES is developing resources for providers, researchers, and policymakers on how to address the dual burden within their respective domains of practice.
