There was a 239% increase in the number of drug overdose deaths in Duval County from 152 in 2015 to 516 in 2021 (CDC WONDER). In 2021, Duval County had the fourth highest number of overdose deaths in Florida. Moreover, the overdose death rate in Duval County was 52.1/100,000 population compared to 31.7/100,000 population for Florida. While the opioid overdose epidemic has worsened in scope and magnitude, it is also becoming more complex with the introduction of novel synthetic substances. The Florida Department of Health in Duval County (DOH-Duval) seeks funding through the CDC’s Overdose Data to Action: Limiting Overdose through Collaborative Actions in Localities (OD2A: LOCAL; CDC-RFA-CE-23-0003) to build upon and strengthen existing drug overdose surveillance and prevention efforts in Duval County. The data-to-action framework will be used to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to use timely overdose surveillance data to inform overdose prevention strategies. DOH-Duval is requesting funding to implement activities under Components A and C. DOH-Duval is not applying for Component B funding. It is anticipated this work will result in the following long-term outcomes: 1) Decreased fatal drug overdoses, 2) Decreased non-fatal drug overdoses, 3) Decreased prevalence of substance use disorder, 4) Improved access to groups disproportionately affected by overdose and underserved populations, 5) Increased adoption of harm reduction strategies, 6) Expanded identification, tracking, and mitigation of emerging drug threats, and 7) Enhanced collection and use of data on linkage to and retention in care among people at high risk of overdose to improve care. OD2A: Local funding will allow DOH-Duval to build upon prior successes in addressing the opioid crisis in Duval County through established partnerships with public safety, hospitals, treatment providers, community-based organizations, and community coalitions. Component A strategies include:
A1) Linkage to and retention in care, A2) Harm reduction, A3) Stigma reduction, A4) Clinician and health systems best practices, and A6) Overdose surveillance infrastructure. To ensure a comprehensive approach, Component A prevention activities will be implemented in community, public safety, and healthcare settings. In addition, activities will be implemented under Component C related to collecting and disseminating data on CDC required indicators of linkage to and retention in care.