2024 National Forum on Overdose Fatality Review

Overdose fatality review (OFR) teams are encouraged to integrate health equity approaches throughout the OFR process. Health equity is the “state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Achieving this requires focused and ongoing societal efforts to address historical and contemporary injustices; overcome economic, social, and other obstacles to health and healthcare; and eliminate preventable health disparities.” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Health Equity) This facilitated session seeks to support OFR teams in their ongoing awareness and intentional practice of health equity. Participants will share their experiences and engage in a community of practice to discuss challenges integrating health equity into the OFR process. Participants will also gain awareness of elements in the OFR data management system that support contextual understanding of social determinants of health.

Specific objectives of the session are to (1) facilitate a discussion about the experiences and strategies OFR teams use to integrate health equity into OFRs, (2) discuss challenges, barriers, solutions, and lessons learned in implementing health equity approaches into the OFR process, and (3) develop case examples and tips to integrate health equity based on the facilitated discussion

Intentionally including individuals with lived experience allows for a more complete understanding of what effective community change can and should look like. People with lived experience (PWLE) bring a unique and necessary perspective, humanize the data, and reduce stigma associated with substance use disorder. PWLE can safely participate in and bring valuable insights into all aspects of the overdose fatality review (OFR) process. This session will provide recommendations and guidance on how to meaningfully involve persons with lived experience of substance use in the OFR process. 

Revitalizing Hope: Collaborative Outreach Strategies for Overdose Prevention in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Motels

This presentation highlights community collaboration and meaningful prevention efforts aimed at reducing overdose fatalities in Monmouth County, New Jersey, motels. Discover more about how the data-driven recommendation identified by the Monmouth County Overdose Fatality Review Team led to fostering community partnerships, the provision of naloxone and other resources, and increased capacity to combat overdoses in Monmouth County. 

Hotels, Motels, and Everywhere in Between: A Community Response for Community Overdose 

This session will focus on the shift of fatal overdose locations from primarily in residence to public locations within Ocean County, New Jersey, and how the Ocean County Overdose Fatality Review Program developed and evolved different initiatives throughout the years to provide community education and information and empower local response. 

This session is designed for professionals wanting to start an overdose fatality review (OFR) or in the early stages of implementing an OFR. The goal of the session is to give an overview of the resources and trainings that are available for OFRs and allow individuals to ask questions to address challenges or about where to get started.

From Recommendation to Implementation: The Funding and Development of the Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Alliance

The profound negative impact of parental drug and alcohol use and misuse, significant childhood trauma, and adolescent drug and alcohol use were some of the earliest trends, discussions, and recommendations of the Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Team. This presentation will discuss the OFR data that spurred and supported OFR recommendations surrounding the need for increased education and awareness of children impacted by parental drug and alcohol use and misuse, as well as ensuring that these youth are being properly identified and effectively linked to the resources and services they need. The partnership with the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (DEC) and multiyear pursuit of grants to fund this recommendation through the development of a proposed Lackawanna County DEC Alliance will be examined, as well as the first year of the implementation of this OFR recommendation-based initiative, which was successfully funded by an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Opioid Affected Youth grant in October 2022. 

Camp FUN! Hancock County, Ohio’s Approach to Creating Connections for Youth Impacted by Addiction  

In 2021, during a review of overdose fatalities in Hancock County, Ohio, it became evident that there was a significantly growing number of children and youth who were directly impacted by the overdose experience of a parent, close relative, or guardian. Knowing that family history of substance use is an indicator of future risk, community members rallied to create an opportunity for children and youth with this shared experience to gather and spend time together in a friendly, understanding, and nurturing environment—creating a unique space for prevention. This workshop will demonstrate how Hancock County created Camp FUN as a unique biannual experience for children and youth to simply be together, make connections, and find hope in a challenging world.

The Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Data System has emerged as a powerful tool, offering a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to understanding overdose fatalities and informing evidence-based strategies for prevention. The OFR Data System collects and summarizes data surrounding overdose fatalities, encompassing not only individual-level data but also contextual factors and contributing circumstances. Data sources include medical examiner reports, law enforcement investigations, toxicology results, social and health care service use, and demographic information. The multidisciplinary collaboration ensures a well-rounded and holistic assessment of each overdose case, elucidating the root causes and risk factors involved. Armed with this knowledge, public health and public safety experts, policymakers, and health care providers can tailor prevention strategies to address specific vulnerabilities within communities. These identified recommendations are also entered and tracked in the OFR Data System. This session will provide an overview of the OFR Data System, how to access it and resources available for analysis, and why collecting and summarizing and reporting on data, findings, and recommendations from individual case reviews, next-of-kin interviews, and community context are important activities of OFRs. 

Beginning in 2020, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) undertook an ongoing research project to identify both currently-in-force statutes and recently proposed legislation related to overdose fatality review (OFR) throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, titled “Overdose Fatality Review Boards: State Laws” (previously updated in February 2021). This presentation provides updated information through December 2023. 

Grand Ballroom

We Heart You: Catalysts of Change 

This presentation will cover the multiple recommendations that the Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Team implemented to drive community change. With the team’s motto of “We Heart You,” it has given people a way to know that it cares about them no matter how many times they need help and where along the spectrum of recovery they are. From exploring an overdose mapping system to trying to implement a rapid response team, it took pivoting from unsuccessful pilots and meeting with stakeholders to find a successful end result that saves lives. The presentation will highlight the Solutions Peer Response Team, which is a 24/7 rapid response program that is peer-led and peer-driven and meets people where they are most vulnerable. Through a partnership with the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, the pilot program not only addressed needs that the jail was not able to solve itself but has expanded to fund peers in the jail and to create a recovery pod. Come learn how OFR recommendations can be catalysts of community change through partnerships and knowing when to pivot.