Overdose prevention and health equity are two vital aspects of addressing the urgent public health crisis of substance use and overdose. Overdose data is crucial in identifying inequities and shaping effective interventions. By using data to drive action, health agencies can create more equitable and impactful strategies to prevent overdoses.
To support this work, ASTHO has created health equity resources for recipients of CDC’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) cooperative agreement.
Spotlight on Health Equity in OD2A Resources
Overdose Data to Action Recipient Health Equity Needs Assessment Overview
ASTHO, in consultation with CDC, created the OD2A Health Equity Needs Assessment to assess the support, technical assistance, and training that state, local, and territorial health agencies need to move health equity forward within their OD2A programs.
Based on the results of the needs assessment, ASTHO, in partnership with Strickland Health Consulting, identified nine prevalent technical assistance needs and developed a resource, Advancing Health Equity in the Overdose Crisis Response, a compilation of existing resources, to address these components of integrating health equity into overdose surveillance and prevention efforts.
Health Equity Sharing Forum: Health Equity and Culturally Responsive Evaluation
ASTHO, in partnership with CDC, hosted a virtual OD2A Health Equity Sharing Forum on January 11, 2023. The forum focused on how health equity and culturally responsive evaluation are informing OD2A prevention efforts, as well as understanding how CDC and ASTHO can support these efforts through technical assistance and resource development. Panelists discussed incorporating health equity and culturally responsive evaluation into their OD2A activities and opportunities for collaboration with health equity subject matter experts.
The forum featured three speakers from CDC’s Program Evaluation Team and Applied Prevention Science Team: Minda Reed, Marissa Roberts, and Jenelle Mellerson. Three OD2A jurisdictions—Sarah Ruiz of Massachusetts, Jan Fields of Michigan, and Stacy Christopher and Ashly Jordan of New York City—and two health equity evaluation experts—Pat Campbell of Campbell Kibler Associates and Veronica Thomas of Howard University—also joined the discussion.
Resources From the Sharing Forum
- OD2A Health Equity Sharing Forum Resources Page: A curated set of resources referenced by panelists.
- Health Equity Focused Evaluation Profiles (Parts 1 – 4): A collection of four posts written by Jan Fields for the OD2A Evaluation Community of Practice blog between December 2021 through June 2022.
- Part 1: Root Cause Analysis and Equity Review
- Part 2: Plan for Adaptions
- Part 3: Context Analysis
- Part 4: Health Equit Indicator Development
- Health Equity Focused Evaluation Profiles (Part 5): This is the fifth of a series of blog posts on implementing core components of a health equity work plan that was created by NACCHO and Health Equity and Action Research Tools & Training for Transformation, a Colorado-based consulting firm.
- Part 5: Community Engagement Assessment
Lessons Learned from ASTHO's Mentorship Program: Health Equity Track
The Overdose Data to Action Mentorship Program: Health Equity Track convenes both newer and experienced OD2A cooperative agreement staff to celebrate successes, identify challenges, and share ideas through peer exchange, health equity trainings, technical assistance, and a structured mentor/mentee relationship.
Learn More
For more information and support please contact ASTHO’s OD2A team at od2a@astho.org.