Substance Use Epidemiology Program
Mission
To manage, analyze, and disseminate information on drug overdose and excessive alcohol use to inform and drive statewide prevention efforts.
What we do
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Collect, manage, and analyze information on fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses, controlled substance prescribing, naloxone distribution, substance use and harm reduction patterns among people who use illicit substances, and excessive alcohol use. For more information, visit Drug Overdose Surveillance Data Hub.
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Manage a publicly-accessible Drug Overdose Surveillance Data Hub highlighting municipal, county, and statewide trends. Featured surveillance systems include emergency department visits, emergency medical service runs, non-fatal toxicology, overdose fatalities from the RIDOH's Office of the State Medical Examiners and the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, and prescribing data for the Rhode Island Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
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Utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by creating maps and analyzing spatial data to support prevention efforts.
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Disseminate information on drug overdose and excessive alcohol use to community partners, stakeholders, the public, and CDC.
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Collaborate with the Drug Overdose Prevention Program to ensure data are used to inform and drive statewide prevention efforts.
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Partner with the Governor’s Task Force on Overdose Prevention and Intervention to inform strategies and disseminate information.
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Consult with and contribute data to Rhode Island’s overdose information and data dashboard, PreventOverdoseRI.org.
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Convene a multi-disciplinary Drug Overdose Fatality Review Team, in coordination with the Drug Overdose Prevention Program, to identify systematic and community-level gaps.
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Explore innovative methods of accessing, reporting, and sharing data that could lead to improved timeliness and greater utilization of data for prevention efforts.
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Build alcohol use surveillance capacity, develop and distribute related data briefs, and promote healthy communities by reducing excessive alcohol use.
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Fulfill data requests from the media, public, and academic partners.
Rhode Island Department of Health