Study Seeks Improvements in Drug Overdose Response for Families, Children

By Joan Slattery Wall

Faculty from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs have joined an Ohio State University research team to find best practices for drug overdose response involving families and children.

“Given that Ohio consistently ranks among the states with the highest overdose mortality rates, and with the growing impact of this crisis on children and families, this research is incredibly important,” said Glenn College Assistant Professor Tasha Perdue. “In the short term, we aim to raise awareness about overdose responses involving families and children, emphasizing the urgent need to improve how we respond to this vulnerable population.”

They also will survey deflection responders and those beyond traditional roles such as law enforcement, fire and EMS to capture a more comprehensive view of the individuals involved in overdose response efforts and understand promising practices and examine how closely overdose response policies align with actual practice, helping to identify areas where policy improvements are needed.

“Unlike approaches where solutions are imposed from the outside, this research focuses on working closely with frontline responders to better understand what strategies are not only most helpful but also most feasible to implement,” Perdue said, noting that different localities have varying needs and resources.

“The research also addresses important gaps in understanding overdose response among historically underserved populations, including racial disparities in overdose deaths,” said Assistant Professor Victor St. John. “Furthermore, the study will provide valuable insights into the impact of evolving drug markets, particularly the rise of xylazine and stimulant-opioid co-use, on overdose response strategies.”

Ohio State is the only institution to receive a competitive grant of $985,527 from the National Institute of Justice for research on law enforcement responses to opioid overdoses to support this research.

The multiple principal investigator project is led by Perdue, St. John and Krystel Tossone, a senior research consultant from the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center. Additional research team members include Glenn College Professor Russell Hassan, who serves as a co-investigator, along with research staff members: Jill Davis, Glenn graduate and CATALYST postdoc; Tom Albani from the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center; Dexter Ridgway from Ohio State’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center in the Moritz College of Law; and Chris Yanai from the Ohio State Criminal Justice Research Center in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“This study will be one of the first of its kind to link statewide person-level, family-involved overdose data with child welfare outcome data in order to understand what happens to children in the welfare system after their caregiver experiences an overdose,” Tossone said, adding that by understanding the process of overdose response and how it interfaces with the child welfare system, the researchers can identify where there needs to be an improved response and coordination of different systems. “Gathering this data and using a translational approach to dissemination will better inform all systems that are involved in family-involved overdose and children’s outcomes and make it practical and applicable for practitioners and first responders.”

Story image used under license from Gophotograph, stock.adobe.com.