In 2017, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) received additional Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant 6 NU17CE002721-02-02 to implement a Rapid Response Project. The purpose of the Overdose Response Program was to assess current county-level capabilities and response readiness of local health departments (LHDs) and county stakeholders to overdose events. The pilot project began in January 2018 and conclude on August 31, 2018. Grant applications were open to all LHDs in Indiana. Sixteen LHDs applied and six awards were to the following counties: Clark, Fayette, Howard, Marion, Monroe, and Montgomery.
This project was expanded to six additional grantees in November 2018 to include: Dearborn, Jackson, Madison, Scott, St. Joseph, and Tippecanoe counties.
Grant recipients were required to use the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics (ESSENCE) to identify emerging overdose trends and alert local partners of increased drug overdose activity.