Through CDC Overdose Data to Action in States (OD2A-S) CDC-RFA-CE-23-0002 funding, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will use data to inform prevention interventions and action. The funding opportunity supports surveillance and evidenced-based and informed prevention strategies that have an immediate impact on reducing overdose morbidity and mortality, with a focus on opioids, stimulants, and polysubstance use prevention.
Surveillance component work will encompass a) supporting surveillance activities by expanding its centralized public health data reporting infrastructure within the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to include a dedicated drug overdose data environment (Strategy 1), b) collecting and disseminating timely syndromic surveillance ED data on suspected, nonfatal overdoses involving all drugs, all opioids, heroin, fentanyl, benzodiazepines, all stimulants, methamphetamine, and cocaine to inform CDC, local community partners, and prevention strategies (Strategy 2), c) collecting, abstracting, and entering data on the characteristics and substances detected and involved in unintentional and undetermined intent drug overdose (UUDO) deaths that occur in its jurisdiction into the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS), within CDC-established timelines (Strategy 3). Through its Optional and Competitive Strategies, VDH will comply with biosurveillance requirements listed in the NOFO (4-Biosurveillance) and link individual-level death certificate data for fatal overdoses from the VDH Office of Vital Records (OVR) with other data sources (5-Linkages).
Prevention component work will encompass d) delivering pain management and SUD screening and diagnosis education for healthcare providers (HCP) and Medicaid providers in high burden areas of the state, conducting academic detailing, embedding navigators and drug prevention outreach coordinators into high burden Local Health Districts (LHD) and health systems, implementing and expanding electronic information sharing among states in compliance with the National Prescription Monitoring Information Exchange (PMIX) Architecture; connecting and maintaining bidirectional connection for the exchange of PMP data with other “state” PMP systems, maintain PMP prescriber report functionality, and integrating the PMP into clinical workflow (Strategy 6); e) identifying overdose spikes and respond to such spikes in high burden LHD areas using Overdose Detection Mapping Application (ODMAP) data, working with local jurisdictions in enhancing coordination among public health, public safety, and other sectors to implement evidence-based opioid overdose prevention strategies, implementing Virginia’s Opioid Response protocol, and examine the feasibility of implementing overdose fatality review teams (Strategy 7), f) embedding navigators into VDH Harm Reduction sites, distribute naloxone, educate public safety in stigma reduction, and create improved linkage of care/navigator implementation plans through the Appalachian region (Strategy 8), and g) coordinating community navigator services within community at large organizations (schools, faith-based, libraries, etc.), embedding navigators through drug free coalitions, and creating post overdose prevention response plans.
As demonstrated through its evaluation and performance management plan results, VDH will achieve or make progress towards, measure, and report on all bolded outcomes during the period of performance as outlined in the NOFO. VDH will implement interventions that address short-, intermediate-, and long-term outcomes, will report on short- and intermediate-term outcomes, and will document how Virginia is closing gaps, working with high impact populations. Virginia will demonstrate progress towards achieving long-term outcomes within five years of receiving funding.