Knox county health department: OD2A local - knox county health department ("kchd") serves a metropolitan area in east tennessee of approximately 500,000 people, which in 2021 experienced a crude…

Knox county health department: OD2A local - knox county health department ("kchd") serves a metropolitan area in east tennessee of approximately 500,000 people, which in 2021 experienced a crude rate of death from overdoses of 91.6 per 100,000 population. Groups disproportionately impacted by overdose death in knox county include people experiencing homelessness, people involved in the criminal justice system, and people of color. Kchd proposes to conduct seven strategies under this award to address this high overdose burden: ED-based navigation, detention center-based navigation, outreach to people experiencing homelessness, academic detailing, overdose fatality review, public health education, and ongoing overdose and toxicologic surveillance. These strategies will be implemented in partnership with the university of tennessee medical center, covenant health, the knox county detention facility, the volunteer ministry center, and metro drug coalition. Kchd's harm reduction program and division of epidemiology will serve as the lead evaluators of this award, oversee project implementation, ensure all related projects are data-driven, and promote cross-sector collaboration. Through this initiative, kchd intends to reduce the number of nonfatal and fatal overdose events, decrease morbidity and mortality associated with substance use, and improve the quality of life for people who use drugs in knox county.