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News – Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Opioid Data And Trends Readily Available
Interactive Opioid Data Dashboard and Comprehensive Opioid Data Report
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is announcing the launch of its Opioid Data Dashboard, an innovative way to access data on opioid overdoses and deaths.
“The Opioid Data Dashboard is an innovative way to share information with our partners in health care, government, community organizations, law enforcement, justice systems, and others, to inform us on where we should be focusing our efforts,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “The number of opioid overdose deaths in Illinois continues to increase, although at a slower rate. We must continue to work to end the opioid crisis and these data will help.”
The Opioid Data Dashboard is an interactive website that offers information on how opioids are affecting people in Illinois. The dashboard consists of three categories: Morbidity and Mortality, Trends, and Prescription Opioids. Morbidity and Mortality data includes the rate of fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses by county, as well as the number of overdoses by zip code. Trends looks at fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses by age group, race, sex, and cause (heroin vs. other opioids). Prescription Opioids includes data on the rate, by county, of opioids being prescribed, as well as the daily average of opioids being prescribed. It also includes the annual number of total patients being prescribed an opioid and total number of prescriptions issued.
Earlier this year, IDPH released the State of Illinois Comprehensive Opioid Data Report, which includes data from a variety of sources across multiple state agencies. It includes data on the number of opioid-related deaths, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, doses of naloxone administered, babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, HIV and hepatitis C rates for injection drug users, opioid prescriptions, and the type of opioid involved.
Both the dashboard and report are meant to inform statewide efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and implement the State of Illinois Opioid Action Plan.
The data in this report show that no group is unaffected by the opioid crisis in Illinois. Different groups are affected differently when it comes to prescribing, nonfatal overdose, fatal overdose, infectious disease, and other aspects of opioid use. This understanding will help shape future research and policies as we target interventions appropriately, culturally competently, and effectively.
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