About this project
Project overview
What’s the purpose of this project?
Standardized indicators can help to strengthen overdose prevention efforts.
These indicators will help users use data to:
- Guide overdose prevention programs and tailor overdose prevention interventions, as needed
- Identify how overdose prevention efforts achieve fair outcomes and opportunities
- Demonstrate progress in overdose prevention for organizational leadership, funders and other interested organizations
- Inform future programmatic investments
- Provide insight and understanding into how various programs contribute to overdose prevention strategies
How did we approach this project?
Overdose Measures Matter was developed by the CDC Foundation through collaboration with a subject matter expert and a diverse set of organizations. It aims to promote the widespread adoption of indicators that are feasible to collect and reflective of current overdose prevention practices.
This content is community-informed and has been shaped by hundreds of people working in overdose prevention. Various perspectives were considered, discussed and included wherever possible. We gathered input from people in virtual and in-person discussion sessions, and from staff of health departments via online surveys and national workshops.
By funding seven community collaborations across the country to pilot the indicators, we had the opportunity to learn alongside communities as they worked to support the co-creation and modification of the indicators. These awardees piloted a set of draft indicators, helping us assess ease and use.
Snapshot: Indicator Development Process
Initial Review
and Selection
External
Engagement
Feasibility
Assessment
Fund
Pilot Sites
Initial review
and selection
WORK
GROUPS
Subject matter expert workgroups reviewed and refined an initial list of 500+ indicators
External
Engagement
DIVERSE
PERSPECTIVES
Two premliminary sessions, three intensive sessions for core group of nine and one open forum
Feasibility
Assessment
public health
departmentS
Online survey to 200+ contacts to understand data currently available and desired
Fund
Pilot Sites
90k in grants
Sites piloting indicators, collecting data, providing feedback on feasibility and relevance
acknowledgements
Overdose Measures Matter was made possible with a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to the CDC Foundation as part of the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloomberg Philanthropies nor the CDC Foundation.
Thank you to Dr. Kima Joy Taylor for her invaluable expertise, thought leadership and collaboration. University of Washington Supporting Harm Reduction Programs (SHaRP) provided technical assistance and support to the pilot sites. A special thank you to the many people who have provided valuable feedback and insights along the way.
Thank you to our Overdose Measures Matter pilot sites, their partners and community members for helping shape and refine the indicators presented on this site. These awardees include:
- AIDS Leadership Foothills-area Alliance (Hickory, NC)
- Cochise Harm Reduction (Cochise County, AZ)
- Houston Health Foundation (Houston, TX)
- Minority AIDS Support Services (Newport News, VA)
- UK St. Claire (Morehead, KY)
- Graham County Department of Health (Graham County, NC)
- Trenton Health Team (Trenton, NJ)