Health Department Receives $350,000 Grant to Inform Opioid Epidemic Interventions

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that it has received a two-year grant from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation in the amount of $350,000 to support the expansion of the department’s outreach in local communities affected by the opioid crisis. A portion of the funds will be used to conduct in-depth interviews to gather data to help focus intervention strategies, while some will be awarded in mini-grants to support community overdose prevention and response efforts.

“The opioid overdose epidemic has had a devastating effect on residents and communities in Allegheny County,” said Health Department Director, Dr. Karen Hacker. “We are very grateful to the Henry L. Hillman Foundation for providing us with this funding, which will allow us to get a more-detailed understanding of how this public health crisis is impacting our local communities. This is just one more action step in our fight to address the opioid overdose epidemic, and we will continue to fight this head-on so that we can save as many lives as possible.”

Communities throughout the county have been impacted by the opioid epidemic, but data shows that some communities bear a disproportionate burden. In order to increase the effectiveness of intervention strategies, ACHD will work with a University of Pittsburgh qualitative research team led by Dr. Judy Chang, Associated Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Medicine, to support a better understanding of the current opioid crisis. Specifically, the work will include interviews with community stakeholders, first responders, and service providers, as well as intravenous drug users, people in recovery, and those who have lost loved ones to overdose.

Later this year, ACHD will also be announcing two round of $50,000 in grant funds to be awarded as mini-grants to support community overdose prevention and response efforts.

Overdoses can be prevented. It is vitally important that county residents have access to the best and most effective treatment to support their recovery. For more information, visit: http://www.achd.net/overdoseprevention/. 

Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, Director

Allegheny County Health Department – Public Information Office

542 Fourth Avenue ? Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Phone: 412-687-ACHD (2243) ? Fax: 412-578-8325?www.achd.net ??