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Project Goal
In 2021, EMS agencies in Kansas started entering overdose data in near real-time. To make sense of the data, the Kansas Overdose Response Strategy team looked for geospatial patterns and markers to explain why some areas were overdose “hotspots.” Finding high risk locations in combination with socioeconomic data allows local organizations to utilize resources more effectively to reduce overdose and save lives.Business Problem Solved
Since 2021, Kansas communities can track near real-time overdose data. To make sense of this data, the Kansas Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team created geospatial layers that linked overdose hotspot areas to specific types of facilities, such as lodging facilities, apartment complexes, shelters, and gas stations. The Kansas ORS team in partnership with local organizations distributed naloxone to those hotspot locations and facilities. The team also worked with youth prevention organizations to identify areas with at-risk youth by using socioeconomic data pulled from Community Analyst in combination with the overdose heatmaps. Elementary schools in hotspots were identified and communicated to organizations focused on mentoring at-risk youth.
Technology Implemented
Community Analyst and Dashboards
Development Team Biography
DJ Gering is a public health analyst for the CDC Foundation supporting the Overdose Response Strategy in the state of Kansas. He has seven years of public health experience specializing in data visualization and mapping. DJ is passionate about using data to address health equity and promoting the use of social determinants of health data to empower local organizations to make decisions.