Naloxone Heat Map Release

The Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse recently launched an interactive, online Naloxone Administration Heat Map, providing insight into the location of incidents where naloxone has been administered and reported by emergency medical services (EMS) providers throughout the state.

Also known by the brand name Narcan®, naloxone blocks the effects of an opioid overdose and can save the life of the patient. After they administer naloxone, Indiana EMS providers report to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) the incident location when an overdose situation is presumed.

“Naloxone is a proven life-saver,” said Jim McClelland, Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement. “This map gives first responders a visual asset to help them deploy resources more efficiently. It’s one more tool we can use to attack the drug epidemic and promote recovery—an important focus of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration.”

Developed through a partnership between the Indiana Management Performance Hub and the IDHS, the Naloxone Administration Heat Map displays naloxone administrations reported by EMS since Jan. 1, 2014.

“As we continue to battle the opioid epidemic from all angles, this new tool will both inform our first responders and help identify general locations that have seen an increase in naloxone delivery,” said State EMS Medical Director Dr. Michael Kaufmann. “Indiana EMS providers and first responders deliver this life-saving medication every day, and the data produced through this mapping tool will help to guide the ongoing strategy of Gov. Holcomb’s NextLevel Recovery agenda.”

Care was taken to protect privacy with the placement of points on the map. Accordingly, in densely populated areas, locations where the naloxone administration occurred are represented within 100 meters of the point on the map. In moderately populated areas, they are within 300 meters, and in rural areas, they are within 500 meters.

View the Naloxone Administration Heat Map on the Next Level Recovery website at www.in.gov/recovery/1054.htm.

Welcome to the Team

The MPH team is excited to welcome Ashley Hungate as our Communications Director. With more than 10 years in government experience, Ashley brings a unique set of skills and experience to MPH. In this role, she provides strategic direction on communications and marketing initiatives for Indiana’s data-driven efforts, as well as serving as the agency’s primary external affairs contact. She can be reached at [email protected].

Indy Big Data Visualization Challenge

Now in its third year, the Indy Big Data Visualization Challenge is your opportunity to connect and learn from some of the Midwest’s foremost thought leaders in public open data and data visualization. Conducted in concert with the Indy Big Data Conference, the Data Visualization Challenge invites participants to explore newly released open data sources, bring diverse perspectives and skillsets together to pursue creative insights, and deliver solutions with the potential to significantly benefit the public good.

This year, MPH is partnering with Indy Big Data and the Indiana University Bloomington School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, School of Public and Environmental Affairs to host the Challenge. Data is provided by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the Department of Workforce Development.

The datasets, focused on education and workforce, are publicly available on the Indiana Data Hub starting September 12. Teams are welcome to attend a webinar at 11 a.m. (EST) September 14 to address challenge questions. Keep in mind that all teams must register for the Visualization Challenge by September 21 and register for the conference to compete. Substantial student discounts are available. Selected teams have the opportunity to present their solutions during the IBDC general session. To learn more about the conference and Visualization Challenge, click here.

MPH is growing

MPH is always looking for talented individuals to round out our team. Open positions are posted at www.WorkForIndiana.IN.gov. If you don’t see a position that fits your skills, but think you would be a great addition to the team, email MPH Chief of Staff Josh Martin at [email protected]. To learn more about working for MPH, click here.

Thank You

MPH recently shared our story at the Medicaid Enterprise Systems Conference and the Central Indiana Association of Government Accountants Conference. We are always excited to share our story and learn best practices with groups of similarly-tasked professionals.