Sunday, May 11, 2025
5/11/2025
New York State - Overdose Data to Action - The burden of drug overdoses, including opioid pain relievers, heroin, synthetic opioids, and stimulants, in NYS is significant with drug overdose deaths ranking eighth among the leading causes of death in the state with 3,224 deaths in 2017. Through innovation and collaboration, NYSDOH has brought together experts to expand and strengthen partnerships to secure and realign resources and create a collaborative infrastructure to implement a comprehensive approach for using data to inform and target prevention and response efforts. NYSDOH is applying for all ten strategies and the Peer-to-Peer Learning Coordinators. Surveillance strategies include collecting and disseminating timely emergency department (ED) data, along with drug overdose death circumstances. An innovative data collection and referral system linking patients in the ED to care in the community will be pilot tested and expanded. Multiple prevention activities will be conducted addressing each strategy. NYS will work on increasing quality and timeliness of reports into the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) and the emergency medical system (EMS) records. The PDMP will be enhanced by providing proactive functionality, interstate operability, and linkage to electronic health records. Support will be provided to 24 local health departments to implement evidence-based practices working in conjunction with the state to guide referrals and linkages to care; to improve care coordination; and to provide technical assistance to providers working with people who use drugs. To ensure continuation and integration of transitional services that support the full continuum of care, NYSDOH proposes to improve awareness, increase and improve care coordination, and integrate technology with a variety of partners and settings. NYS will facilitate technical implementation and administration of low-barrier, low-threshold buprenorphine in EDs and correctional settings through webinars with continuing education credits. NYS will continue to educate providers on addiction, pain management and palliative care using an enduring, on-line training program. To increase the number of health care practitioners certified to prescribe buprenorphine, and thus, the number of patients receiving buprenorphine, NYS will continue and expand the buprenorphine academic detailing initiative. NYS will work with law enforcement and EMS partners to quickly identify high risk areas for rapid response using naloxone administration data from community members, EMS and other first responders. Funding will be used to provide brief warning messages using social media focused on raising awareness that there may be deadly additives (e.g., fentanyl) in drugs to communities where clusters of overdoses have been identified. Findings from the current vulnerability assessment, where populations that are vulnerable to overdose deaths and elevated hepatitis C diagnoses are identified, will be disseminated to communities and stakeholders. Finally, NYSDOH is proposing to be a peer-to-peer learning coordinator offering guidance to improve systems of change for delivering low-barrier, low-threshold access to buprenorphine in various settings. Expected outcomes include increased dissemination and use of timely and actionable surveillance data which will be used to improve drug overdose interventions and linkages to care. The PDMP will be used to identify high risk prescribing and patient behaviors and help guide appropriate prescribing practices. Increasing awareness of the drug overdose epidemic will help improve preparedness and response at the local level including engagement in evidence-based approaches to prevention, intervention and referral to treatment. Likewise, the increased awareness should decrease initiation of opioid use and misuse by increasing use of non-opioid medicines and non-pharmacological treatment among patients.
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).