Statewide Quick Response Teams: Lessons From Ohio and West Virginia

In 2015, officials in Colerain Township, Ohio, developed a Quick Response Team (QRT) to respond to opioid overdoses. In 2017, first responders in Cabell County, West Virginia, learned about the QRT and replicated it. Since then, key leaders in both states have launched organized, collaborative efforts to support the rapid expansion of the QRT model. The two states have much in common: developing public-private partnerships to support QRTs, leveraging federal funding from multiple sources, and using a bottom-up approach rather than top-down mandates. As of August 2021, 69% of counties in West Virginia and 91% of counties in Ohio have active QRTs. The success of QRT in these two states has driven widespread adoption of this model across the country, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance has recognized QRT as a model of Naloxone Plus overdose response. It often takes decades to scale innovative practices like QRT, but these states have seen success quickly.

In this session, state officials from West Virginia and Ohio will reflect on their implementations of the QRT model. They will describe their successes and lessons learned, focusing on shared learning across states. They will reflect on the role of community engagement, public-private partnerships, and federal funding in driving initiatives from the local level to statewide efforts. State officials will offer advice and recommendations to others looking to scale innovative practices.

In addition, team leaders from the urban Cuyahoga County and rural Fairfield County will dive deeper into the Ohio QRT program. They will explain that one size does not fit all when it comes to community response. Despite success in connecting more individuals with treatment, a review of data in 2020 revealed that specific areas in each county remained prevalent for overdose, violence, and other drug-related activity. In response, the teams strategized to address addiction based on the structure of their communities and resources at hand. Using innovative methods and community collaboration, they created coordinated pathways to care in the targeted areas by sharing and maximizing outreach services. Topics will include data collection and key metrics of success for the work within rural and urban communities.