Research Triangle Institute
11/19/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/19/2024 11:37
HEALing Communities Study releases community-friendly decision tool for selecting opioid overdose reduction strategies
The Overdose Crisis Community Decision Tool is a free web-based resource that guides users to a customized list of evidence-based strategies
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - The National Institutes of Health's HEALing Communities Study(HCS) is making its menu of evidence-based strategies to reduce opioid-related overdose available to communities across the country through a new online decision tool.
The Overdose Crisis Community Decision Tool is a free, web-based resource that guides users to a customized list of evidence-based strategies used in communities that participated in HCS. It is designed to assist decision-makers interested in bringing strategies strongly supported by scientific evidence, and found to be feasible and practical, to their local communities.
"The launch of Overdose Crisis Community Decision Tool represents a critical step forward in equipping communities with the resources they need to effectively combat the opioid crisis," said Dr. Emmanuel Oga, principal investigator of the HCS Data Coordination Center at RTI International. "By providing a tailored approach that incorporates real-world applications of evidence-based strategies with lessons learned from the HEALing Communities Study, we are empowering local decision-makers to implement strategies that have been proven to save lives in the face of this devastating epidemic."
The tool functions like a survey, presenting users with a series of multiple-choice questions, and then matches users to evidence-based strategies that were researched and selected by experts to be included in the Overdose Reduction Continuum of Care Approach (ORRCA)menu. Decision-makers receive a comprehensive list of strategies customized to their community's goals, gaps in services or resources, and capacity to implement and sustain recommended strategies.
The tool also provides real-world examples of how each evidence-based solution was put to practice during the HCS, and links to additional resources for getting started.
HCS was the first research trial of its kind to test community-led interventions to reduce opioid related overdose deaths called the Communities That HEALprogram. The study was funded through a cooperative agreement supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of NIH.
During HCS, 66 communities highly impacted by opioid overdose in four states selected evidence-based strategies from the ORRCA menu. Each community also adopted the CTH, which was a process designed to assist local communities in the selection and implementation of evidence-based strategies.
RTI developed the tool in partnership with the HEAL Consortium and HEAL Connections. No prior knowledge or data inputs are required to complete the tool. The tool does not require that participants enter any identifying information including their geographic location.
Learn more about the Healing Communities Study
Learn more about the NIH's Helping to End Addiction Long-term(R) (HEAL) Initiative