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Introduction

 

The Community Overdose Action Team (COAT) is pleased to present the 2023 Montgomery County Drug Overdose Prevention strategic plan.  This planned approach provides a guide for achieving the goals and objectives identified in the priority areas. 
 

The strategic planning process included input from coalition members and community stakeholders and was facilitated by the Center for Public Health Practice at Ohio State University. This process included a series of planning sessions that occurred over a one-month period. The work plans that were developed serve as tools to steer the direction of the coalitions in achieving their missions. 

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Strategic priorities and goals

Community Overdose Action Team
 

• Harm Reduction – Increase capacity of harm reduction programming to provide overdose prevention and engage clients in support services.

• Response – Coordinate Quick Response Team efforts and ensure there is an emergency plan for a significant cluster of overdoses.

• Education & Information – Raise public awareness and knowledge of the dangers of substance misuse and abuse.

• Prescription – Support healthcare providers with education about the nature of addiction and knowledge of community resources to ensure patients have the comprehensive services they need for recovery.

• Treatment & Recovery – expand access to treatment and community support program.

• Criminal Justice – expand access to and use of treatment and community support programs for those involved in the criminal justice system. 

• Drug Supply Control* – decrease the supply of illicit and illegal substances available for misuse and abuse.

 

* Does not have a work plan due to the sensitive nature of branch activities 
 

About Us

 
The United States continues to experience the deadliest public health crisis in history, as unintentional drug overdose deaths continue to rise.  During 2022, there were more than 110,000 overdose deaths in the United States, up from 72,000 in 2017. In addition to fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses, the epidemic also contributes to a wide range of devastating community consequences. 

 

Montgomery County, Ohio has been devastated by the drug crisis and the overwhelming impact it has had on the community. Our community became the face of the opioid epidemic in national media, with the state’s highest age-adjusted overdose death rate from 2012 to 2017. In response, our community mobilized to address this crisis, creating the Community Overdose Action Team (COAT) to align goals and objectives across sectors, to engage our communities, and to strategically approach prevention and treatment to affect the most change. And these efforts, in part, have succeeded in making that change. Montgomery County now ranks 12th in the state in the age-adjusted death rate, with a nearly 50% decrease in the rate, from 106.6 in 2017 to 57.4 in 2022. Yet, we recognize that one life lost is one too many, and the COAT remains committed to halting the crisis. 
The Community Overdose Action Team (COAT) is an interdisciplinary team seeking to reduce the number of people dying from drug overdoses and drug abuse. The team seeks to enhance current services, looks for gaps in existing services and explores more effective ways to combat drug overdoses. The COAT operates under a Collective Impact Model – an innovative and structured approach to making collaboration work across various sectors to achieve significant and lasting social change. The following priority areas are addressed through the COAT:  drug supply control, harm reduction, response, education & information, prescription, treatment & recovery, and criminal justice.

 

It is this collaborative work of our community partners and citizens that has led to great success in Montgomery County. However, there is still a great amount of work to be done and our collaborative, unified response must continue.

 

Our Process

The Center for Public Health Practice at the Ohio State University (CPHP) provided overall guidance and support using a seven-phase planning approach. The process began in December 2022 and concluded in June 2023; our planning team met virtually a total of two times, with several branch meetings that focused on developing the work plans. A summary of activities related to the first five phases of our process follows.

December 2022 – January 2023 - Phase 1 - Plan to Plan: A strategic planning team, comprised of a variety of coalition members, was asked to participate in the development of the strategic plan. With guidance from CPHP, an outline and timeframe of activities was developed to guide the agency through the process of forming a strategic plan. Planning included a recorded webinar explaining the process of strategic planning for all coalition members to set the stage for the planning process. 

February 2023 - Phase 2 – Develop Guiding Principles:  Since the coalition had recently approved its mission statement to guide the strategic planning process it was determined that an update was not needed. An online survey was distributed to coalition members in February 2023 to gather input to assure that those statements were still appropriate. The survey also gathered input on the vision and values of each coalition. 

February 2023- Phase 3 – Assess the Situation:  An online SOAR survey to assess strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results, and challenges was distributed via online survey to all coalition members. An additional question concerning health equity was also included in the survey.

February – March 2023 - Phase 4 – Priority Selection: The COAT chose to focus this strategic planning process on their branch areas of: harm reduction, response, education and information, prescription, treatment and recovery, and criminal justice. These preselected priorities had predetermined goals associated with them. 

March – June 2023 - Phase 5 – Write the Plan:  During two half-day virtual sessions facilitated by CPHP in March 2023, the writing team met and worked to develop work plans which included objectives, strategies and action steps to address the priority areas for the coalitions. The group conducted a multi-step gap analysis to identify what gaps existed in the community that needed to be filled to achieve the goals. The results of this analysis influenced the development of objectives and strategies. The COAT chose to write three-year objectives and strategies.

Phase 6 – Plan Implementation: The Strategic Planning team, along with coalition leadership, will implement the strategies outlined in the work plan to reach the goals and objectives of the strategic plan.

Phase 7 – Plan Monitoring and Evaluation: To ensure progress is being made toward the strategic priorities, the plan will be monitored by the COAT during monthly or bi-monthly meetings. A progress report will be developed to update the community.  
Contributing Organizations

The following agencies had representatives involved in the development of this plan:

 

• Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County

• Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services

• Montgomery County Commissioners

• Dayton Police Department

• Samaritan Behavioral Health

• Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office

• Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association

• Ascend Innovations

• Montgomery County Common Pleas Court and Probation

• Law Office of the Montgomery County Public Defender

• State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy

• Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management

• Montgomery County Criminal Justice Council

• City of Dayton Fire Department

• Dayton Recovers

• MonDay Community Correctional Institution

• Dayton Municipal Court Probation Department

• Montgomery County Coroner’s Office

• Greater Miami Valley EMS Council

• Woodhaven Behavioral Health

• Goodwill Easterseals

• Montgomery County Prevention Coalition Leadership

• Montgomery County Drug Free Coalition Leadership

• Whole Truth Ministries

• Brave Technology Co-Op

• House of Restoration

• Good Shepherd Ministries

• Kettering Health Network

• Premier Health Network

• OneFifteen

• Families of Addicts

• DeCoach Rehabilitation

• Joshua Recovery Ministries

• Recovery Alliance of Montgomery County Ohio (RAMCO)

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