ODMAP Data Utilization and Support of Overdose Fatality Review Teams: Public Health and Public Safety Collaboration

Understanding the evolving nature of the overdose epidemic is vital to amelioration and is a significant challenge for public health and public safety. Multi-sector collaboration, sharing of information, and resources are proposed as best practices to mitigate community drug harm. Two applications of multi-sector collaboration and information sharing are found through the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) and Overdose Fatality Reviews (OFRs). Within New Jersey, collaborative efforts in OFRs, robust utilization of ODMAP, and application of ODMAP for situational awareness within OFRs, have led to improved understanding and response to the overdose epidemic.

ODMAP provides near real-time suspected overdose surveillance data across jurisdictions to support public safety and public health efforts by mobilizing an immediate response to a sudden increase in overdose events. OFRs have been established to effectively identify system gaps and innovative community-specific overdose prevention and intervention strategies. In practice, OFRs involve a series of confidential individual death reviews by a multidisciplinary team; ODMAP can add community context and trends related to the overdose deaths reviewed.

This session will feature panelists discussing and providing an overview of ODMAP and OFR, guidance on how to get started with ODMAP, and highlighting New Jersey's OFR teams’ experience using ODMAP data to inform their prevention planning and implementation. Presenters will highlight how public safety and public health partners, with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) support staff, implemented a response plan to notifications of a marked increase in overdoses in their jurisdiction using the ODMAP system and OFRs.