Researchers Use Data, Innovative County Partnerships to Tackle Opioid Overdoses

The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Pharmacy is on the forefront of an effort to find solutions to the opioid epidemic and save lives­ through data.

Founded in 2016, the school’s Pennsylvania Opioid Overdose Reduction Technical Assistance Center (TAC) builds a collaboration among health professionals, first responders, public safety agencies and community organizations, and then collects and standardizes their respective data. Once analyzed by the TAC, the data can provide a range of valuable insights including where, and in what groups, overdoses are likely to occur.

TAC has partnered with nearly 50 counties across Pennsylvania to provide data-driven strategies for overdose prevention, intervention and treatment.

TAC Director Lynn Mirigian calls the center’s assistance to counties a “concierge service,” explaining that “they need you to understand what is happening at a local level. This is not the kind of problem you can fix by handing everyone the same 90-page guide.”

Read the full story about TAC’s efforts in the newest issue of Pitt Magazine, the University’s flagship alumni publication. And while you’re there, explore Pitt Magazine’s brand new website: pittmag.pitt.edu.