Hot Topic: Addressing the Opioid Crisis
Substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder (OUD), continue to impact communities across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid overdoses are the leading injury-related cause of death in the country. Health departments play a critical role in addressing this crisis through prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery strategies.
PHF’s opioid-related support falls into three key areas:
- Training to build workforce capacity
- Consulting to tailor local response efforts
- Practical resources that support evidence-based action
Training
PHF supports workforce development through the TRAIN Learning Network, the largest collection of quality training in one place for professionals in public health, emergency preparedness, and healthcare.
- View TRAIN’s Custom Opioid Search Results with over 100 opioid-related training courses
Consulting
PHF works with health departments to improve opioid response efforts by providing Performance Improvement Consulting Services, customized to meet the unique needs of your organization. We can support your organization by:
- Strengthening Performance Management Systems (e.g., tracking overdose trends)
- Applying Quality Improvement to services like treatment referrals
- Creating custom opioid-related training through our eLearning development expertise
- Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for performance management and quality improvement initiatives (e.g., providing real-time data insights and predictive analytics)
Need help using TRAIN.org?
Check out our learner tutorials for helpful information. If you need additional support, view our support page.
Resources
Quality Improvement Tools to Advance Public Health Performance
These QI methods and tools help health departments test, refine, and improve opioid-related services like treatment referral systems, harm reduction outreach, or provider education programs, ultimately improving health in their communities.
Performance Management Toolkit
PHF’s Performance Management Toolkit includes useful tools and resources that health departments can use to align their performance management systems with opioid response efforts, strategic priorities, and use to set measurable objectives (e.g., reducing overdose deaths or increasing naloxone distribution), and track performance indicators.
Foundational Public Health Services
The opioid crisis intersects nearly every component of the FPHS framework and supports opioid-related prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery efforts. By aligning opioid response efforts with the FPHS, health departments can build stronger systems that are data-informed, equitable, and sustainable.
Looking for Technical Assistance or Training?
PHF offers a wide range of technical assistance (TA) and training services and customizes its approach to meet your needs. Learn more about PHF’s TA and training services in Quality Improvement Technical Assistance and Training.