Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
MS OD2A-S - The MS Department of Health, in collaboration with the MS Public Health Institute and Bartkowski & Associates Research Team, proposes MS OD2A-S. This multipronged project will permit MS to prioritize the formidable and interrelated threats of opioid, stimulant, and polysubstance misuse. MS OD2A-S will also enhance the state’s ability to track and prevent nonfatal and fatal overdoses while identifying emergent drug threats. MS has been beset by increasing rates of nonfatal and fatal overdoses driven by the proliferation of high-potency opioids and the stubbornly prevalent misuse of prescription drugs. These trends have placed an increasingly greater number of Mississippians who consume these substances at mortal risk. MS OD2A-S will address our state’s escalating burden of drug misuse, abuse, and nonfatal and fatal overdoses by: (1) enhancing syndromic surveillance activities designed to alert local healthcare providers to recent and impending threats; (2) disseminating critical information from the timely review of drug overdose death certificates, medical examiners’ records and toxicology reports, and coroners’ reports that will pinpoint areas for education, training, and naloxone distribution strategies; (3) utilizing the OD2A navigator model to promote linkage to care for persons with opioid use disorder (OUD), stimulant use disorder (StUD), or substance use disorder (SUD); (4) providing targeted funds through subgrants to local public safety agencies as well as other key partners and organizations that can assist with project implementation and ensure successful project outcomes. Attention will be given to these strategies. Strategy 1: Enhance and sustain the overdose surveillance infrastructure within Mississippi. Strategy 2: Collect and disseminate timely data from emergency departments and hospital admissions for suspected ODs. Strategy 3: Collect and disseminate timely data on unintentional and undetermined intent drug OD deaths. Strategy 6a: Design and deliver clinician education on best practices for acute, subacute, and chronic pain, including opioid prescribing guidelines and screening, diagnosing, and linking to care for OUD and StUD. Strategy 6b: Expand PDMP data sharing across state lines to foster interstate interoperability. Strategy 7: Implement promising overdose prevention strategies at the intersection of public health and public safety. Strategy 8: Use the OD2A navigator model to connect people to services and ensure PWUD have access to overdose prevention and reversal tools, treatment options, and drug checking equipment, as well as disseminate education and communication materials to increase awareness of, improve access to, and reduce stigma toward harm reduction resources. Strategy 9: Initiate linkage to care activities to support retention in care. The MS OD2A-S team is prepared to implement these proposed activities to reduce the burden of nonfatal and fatal overdoses among Mississippians that result from opioid, stimulant, and polysubstance misuse.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).