The Ohio River Valley Corridor Drug Data Research Center (ORVC-C) to Combat the Overdose Crisis

The Ohio River Valley Corridor (ORVC) Regional Drug Data Research Center aims to address the drug overdose crisis. The purpose of the ORVC is to support prevention, harm reduction, treatment, public safety, and recovery services, and to create a drug data sharing model for other
regions in the United States. The service area spans Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC, and West Virginia which are disproportionately impacted by rising rates of fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses, persons with substance use disorder, and drug/narcotic violations. Key partners include Federal and State level criminal justice and law enforcement, Public Health Departments and agencies, and researchers in target states. The primary activities involve building a Central Data Repository (CDR) and a
Dissemination and Engagement Center (DEC) to collect, analyze, interpret, and disseminate data related to drug use, drug trafficking, and other drug-related events. The CDR will be populated with existing data collected by local, statewide, and national agencies; Contextual data such as
labor, crime, public health indicators, and demographic data. The CDR will have interfaces to facilitate electronic information sharing, data analysis, and a repository of reports on the interpretation and analysis of drug data. The DEC will conduct outreach to stakeholders to identify
additional data sources, partnerships, and data needs, as well as produce data products and educational materials to address those needs. Sustained community engagement using Community Engaged Research (CEnR) approaches will build linkages between targeted stakeholder groups and the ORVC team. The expected outcomes include an interactive data dashboard that provides drug and contextual data, downloadable datasets and visualizations including maps, graphs, trendlines, and tables; dissemination materials that are responsive to the needs of stakeholders, such as data use toolkits, educational materials, webinars, and conference materials. Toolkits will help community stakeholders understand the data, trends, and emerging issues, while educational materials will inform nonacademic audiences. The intended beneficiaries are national, statewide and substate agencies aimed at combatting the drug overdose crisis. Overall, the plan for collecting the data required for this solicitation's performance measures is comprehensive and focused on achieving specific objectives and measurable outcomes. The ORVC Regional Drug Data Research Center will work in partnership with the Alabama Southeastern Regional Drug Data Research Center to extend drug data research into contiguous states and identify drug flow systems that cross state lines.