With opioid deaths up 600 percent in Minnesota since 2000, it's good news that the Minnesota Department of Health has received a $345,000 grant to better track and prevent opioid-involved overdoses.
Overdose deaths were virtually nonexistent in 2009, but five years later had doubled or tripled in most of northern Minnesota (including Becker, Hubbard and Wadena counties) and had increased by more than fivefold in Mahnomen County, according to a map compiled by The Guardian newspaper.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the grant Wednesday, as part of a larger CDC award of $12 million to 23 states and the District of Columbia.
"Providing more comprehensive and timely data to law enforcement, public health officials, treatment providers and the public will help Minnesota identify hot spots and better focus our prevention efforts," said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Ed Ehlinger.
The funds will support the State Health Department's ongoing Data-Driven Prevention Initiative work, also funded through a CDC grant.
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The initiative includes improving the department's ability to do field work to monitor the opioid crisis and to set up an opioid data dashboard. The dashboard will be a one-stop shop for all opioid-related data, with patient data privacy protections The dashboard is expected to launch next month.
"More than 500 Minnesotans died from an opioid overdose in 2015; a 600 percent increase since 2000. These Minnesotans were our friends, our neighbors, and our family members. We won't forget them - our Administration is committed to tackling this epidemic. We have worked with the Legislature to improve the availability of naloxone, reform substance abuse treatment, provide additional resources for treatment programs, and develop a statewide substance abuse strategy," said Lt. Governor Tina Smith, who leads the Administration's efforts to address opioid abuse.
"But we know more must be done to tackle Minnesota's opioid epidemic. I thank our federal Congressional Delegation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for this grant, which will help Minnesota better track and prevent opioid abuse. We must continue building on this progress next session."
Knowledge is power, and the dashboard will include information about the following topics: opioid overdose deaths, nonfatal overdoses, prescribing practices, supply and diversion, co-occurring conditions and social determinants of health.
MDH will be pulling together data from multiple sources and from partner agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Drug Enforcement Agency.
This epidemic of overdoses is a true public health emergency, and we applaud the CDC and the State Health Department for taking the problem seriously.
-- Detroit Lakes Tribune
