State Opioid Response (SOR)

Background/Purpose

In 2017, Ohio had the second-highest rate of drug overdose deaths involving opioids in the United States. Published data from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Mental Health (NSDUH) demonstrated that 40,000 Ohioans reported heroin use in the past year and 442,000 reported misuses of prescription pain relievers, with approximately 221,000 needing but not receiving treatment for illicit drug use including opioids. In addition, recent trends on the increased use of methamphetamines and other stimulants cannot be ignored. In 2018, OMHAS received SOR funding from SAMHSA to provide treatment and recovery services to 40,000 Ohioans with opioid use disorder (OUD) and/or stimulant use disorder (SUD). SARDI was subcontracted by OMHAS to provide all data collection training, program evaluation activities, gift card incentive management and distribution, and reporting for the SOR project.

Goals

The goal of the SOR project is to build a community system of care (prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery support) that emphasizes service integration between healthcare (medical, behavioral health, emergency department), criminal justice, and child welfare creating a continuum of care aimed at improving outcomes for individuals with OUD and/or SUD. To ensure the highest quality of data possible and to assess and report on progress toward SOR goals, SARDI established the following objectives:

• Conduct SAMHSA mandated Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) data collection training and technical assistance for all providers receiving funding.
• Distribute and manage gift card incentives for clients participating in the GPRA data collection.
• Conduct weekly monitoring of data to ensure validity and integrity.
• Provide monthly and quarterly reports to evaluate the impact of SOR services on Ohioans with OUD and/or SUD and to assess the impact of the program on Ohio's most vulnerable populations.

Outcomes

Since 2019, SARDI has conducted 162 data collection training with 3,771 providers throughout Ohio. Additionally, SARDI has sent 14,034 technical assistance emails to providers, distributed 31,867 gift card incentives to participants, distributed biweekly reports to alcohol, drug addiction and mental health services (ADAMHS) Boards, and developed 56 outcomes reports for SOR-funded agencies.

SARDI also presented two oral presentations at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting in October 2020. These presentations highlighted the positive impact of SOR-funded services on individuals with OUD and/or SUD in Ohio. In sum, paired-samples t-tests revealed statistically significant reductions in alcohol, opioid, and other illegal drug use from intake to 6-month follow-up. Mental health also showed significant improvement from intake to follow-up. While a majority were housed at intake (69.2%), there was an increase in the percentage of clients housed at follow-up (86.7%). In addition, a greater percentage of clients were employed at follow-up (41.0%) compared to intake (21.9%).

Grant Type

Evaluation

Funded By

Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS)

Grant No.

2100780

Principal Investigator

Nicole Kinzeler, Ph.D.

Primary Contact

nicole.kinzeler@wright.edu

Partner Agencies

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS)
• Behavioral health, emergency department, criminal justice, child welfare, and faith-based organizations throughout the state of Ohio.

Publications/Presentations

• Kinzeler, N. R., Augspurger, E., Kapp, V. A., Gurley, J., & Knudsen, K. (2020, March 8-11). Improving access to treatment for Ohioans with opioid use disorder [Poster presentation]. American Academy of Health Behavior Annual Scientific Meeting, Napa, CA, United States. (Conference canceled)
• Kinzeler, N.R., Kapp, V., Augspurger, E., Sielski, C., Trim, J., & Taylor, K. (2020). Addressing the unique needs of women in OUD treatment improves behavioral health outcomes. Presented at the annual meeting for the American Public Health Association in October 2020.