The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), housed in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, in collaboration with the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH), has been awarded $27 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program. This is a renewal of a $23 million grant awarded to KIPRC in 2019. With the support of the OD2A program, KIPRC will collaborate with state, university and community partners on nine specific strategies to be implemented over five years, which began in September 2023. The grant provides a transformative opportunity to strengthen ongoing efforts to combat Kentucky's drug overdose crisis and reduce overdose-related harms.
The CDC's OD2A program plays a vital role in advancing the nation's response to the opioid epidemic. OD2A supports the implementation of prevention activities and the collection of accurate, comprehensive and timely data on nonfatal and fatal drug overdoses, which are used to enhance drug overdose prevention programs and surveillance efforts. The OD2A grant will allow public health agencies and community partners to respond more quickly, effectively, and equitably to Kentuckians' needs, using data to drive action to reduce drug overdose deaths and related harms.
"This funding allows Kentucky to continue building upon the great work that teams across the Commonwealth have been doing under the past OD2A grant," said Connie White, KDPH deputy commissioner for clinical affairs. "Efforts to tackle these multifactorial issues to decrease overdoses and overdose deaths in the Commonwealth are helping to give Kentuckians the opportunity to reach their full human potential."
"KIPRC is grateful for the continued support and partnership with the CDC," said Dana Quesinberry, J.D., Dr.P.H., principal investigator for surveillance of the Kentucky OD2A program at KIPRC. "We are proud to share this mission and effort to prevent drug overdoses and protect the well-being of Kentuckians. This grant will have a lasting impact and provide hope to those affected by substance use disorders."
More information about OD2A can be found here.
KIPRC is a unique partnership between the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) and the University of Kentucky's College of Public Health. KIPRC serves both as an academic injury prevention research center and as a bona fide agent of KDPH for statewide injury prevention and control.
