About Us

Mission: Coordinate multi-sector, statewide efforts to prevent drug overdose deaths utilizing data-informed strategies to implement policy, education, and harm reduction interventions.

Vision: An Ohio free from drug misuse, abuse, overdose, and death.

The Ohio Overdose Prevention Network (Ohio OPN) is a subgroup of the Ohio Injury Prevention Partnership (OIPP). It was created to focus specifically on the epidemic of drug overdose deaths. 

The purpose of the Ohio OPN is to identify and implement actions for the prevention of drug misuse, abuse and overdose and to serve as a means of communication and collaboration on this topic among interested organizations, agencies and individuals throughout the state.

Download the most recent Ohio Overdose Prevention Network (OPN) Strategic Plan.

Specifically, the Ohio OPN is involved in the following:

• Examining statewide data and producing materials to raise awareness about this issue
• Prioritizing drug overdose as a public health threat 
• Determining drugs of abuse responsible for increasing death rates and access issues
• Conducting regional forums in high risk areas to present data and discuss solutions
• Developing and assisting with the development of state-level recommendations and strategies for increasing capacity to respond to this problem
  • Recovery Ohio Advisory Council's Initial Report
  • Emergency Department and Acute Care Opioid and Other Controlled Substances Prescribing Guidelines
• Raising awareness of this issue in the media and among the public
  • Take Charge Ohio
  • OH Against OD
• Implementing sustainable overdose prevention systems and partnerships
  • Prevention programs in Butler, Clark, Clermont, Columbus, Crawford, Dayton-Montgomery, Erie, Hancock, Licking, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Muskingum, Portsmouth City, Ross, Stark, Summit, Toledo-Lucas, Trumbull, Union, and Vinton Counties.
  • Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) network of opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs 

How To Join

To become a member of the OIPP or any of the OIPP action groups, please complete the online membership application.  You will begin to receive meeting notifications and updates about the group's activities.

For more information about the group, please contact the Ohio Department of Health Violence and Injury Prevention Section at 614-466-2144.

What's New?

Pilot Projects Awarded 

The Ohio Overdose Prevention Network (Ohio OPN) announced the availability of pilot project funding to promote innovative solutions regarding the drug overdose crisis in Ohio. The programs will be awarded $5,000 - $7,000 each to several agencies who are seeking to increase resources to individuals impacted by the opioid crisis and decrease barriers to health.

The Ohio Overdose Prevention Network (Ohio OPN) will announce the 2023 Pilot Project recipients in January 2023. 

Our 2022 recipients for the Pilot Project funding were as follows: 

• Adena Health System 
  • The project will work with Adena Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, and will focus on system changes by providing education and resources to medical providers as well as community agencies to improve knowledge of opioid prevention and decrease opioid overdoses. There will be pre-conference work with pre-assessments and baseline reporting for metrics. From the pre-work, several conferences will be held surrounding the topic of pain management alternatives for providers and the community. After each conference a post assessment will be held with a final round table review on the entire program for the future. 
     
• Harm Reduction Ohio
  • The 'Fighting stigma in immigrant communities' project aims to begin the process of reducing stigmas that limit access to harm reduction and treatment resources among Guatemalan and Honduran immigrants in Hamilton, Clermont, and butler counties. Multiple stigmas against Latinx immigrants, the use of illegal drugs, and harm reduction per se intersect to limit people's willingness to discuss and seek help for substance use disorders. Counteracting these stigmas is a crucial first step to connecting people to resources. 
     
• Toledo Fire and Rescue Department 
  • Telemedicine can be used to reach to Emergency Room Online Medical Control (OLMC) to assist in patient care, and allow for a more appropriate flow of the Against Medical Advice procedure. We can also use this technology to reach recovery / detox centers while in the presence of patients to allow for immediate transfer of care and admittance into recovery program. 

Resources

The Ohio Overdose Prevention Network (Ohio OPN) facilitates statewide partnerships for drug overdose prevention. Ohio OPN utilizes data-informed strategies to implement equitable policy, education, and harm reduction interventions. The purpose of the Ohio OPN is to identify and implement actions for the prevention of drug misuse, abuse and overdose and to serve as a means of communication and collaboration on this topic among interested organizations, agencies and community coalitions throughout the state. 

Health Equity Tool Workshop

Karya Lustig, Director of the Program Office for the CDC Cooperative Agreement and Deputy Director at the Center for Health Leadership and Practice presented this training with Amy Max, the Program Manager at the Center for Health Leadership and Practice at the Public Health Institute.

Powerpoint Presentation from Health Equity Workshop

Participants worked through the tool in regional breakout sessions which were also divided into rural and urban settings. 

Health Equity Breakout Session Tools

The following health equity tools were created by OPN members and attendees of the 2021 Training Series. They are not complete, but are useful when starting conversations about health equity in your community. 

North East Rural Health Equity Tool 

North East Urban Health Equity Tool 

North West Rural Health Equity Tool 

North West Urban Health Equity Tool 

South East Rural Health Equity Tool 

South East Urban Health Equity Tool 

South West Rural Health Equity Tool 

Peer Support Panel 

The original airing occurred August 26th, 2021. This is a panel on the unique impact of Peer Support Specialists and their roles and functions within several settings. 

Overdose Prevention and Awareness

The original airing occurred August 31st, 2021. This is a panel of overdose prevention professionals representing rural and urban settings that describe programs to address stigma and maximize outreach.