Category Archives: Partnerships Between Public Health and Public Safety to Reduce Drug Overdoses

Interventions to Improve Linkage to Care for People Who Use Drugs

First responders can improve outcomes for individuals who use drugs by consistently connecting them to evidence-based services, such as medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and naloxone, and social support services known to enhance treatment and recovery.

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Quick Response Teams: Lessons Learned from a Review of Ohio’s Naloxone Plus Programs

In response to the opioid crisis, many police and first responders implemented deflection programs, a unique collaboration between public health and public safety. These initiatives “deflect” individuals with substance use disorders away from the justice system and ERs by connecting them to behavioral health care or other needed community-based services.

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First Responder Deflection Programs: Partnerships Across Disciplines

Our research report published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice discusses the methodology, key findings, and policy implications of a national survey on first responder deflection (FRD) programs. Read: Designed to Do Good: Key Findings on the Development and Operation of First Responder Deflection Programs 

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