Hickory – ALFA has been selected for an award by the CDC Foundation for their research project: Implementation and Monitoring of Overdose Prevention Indicators. Through this project ALFA will collect and assess indicators relating to access to overdose prevention services and the experiences of people who use drugs in our community.
In 2021, a reported 106,699 deaths due to drug overdose occurred, making it a leading cause of injury related death in the United States. Although drug overdose continues to be a leading public health concern, practitioners lack guidance around what to measure to strengthen interventions and eliminate inequities.
With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the CDC Foundation has awarded funding to seven teams of community-based organizations (CBOs) and health departments to pilot a tailored set of overdose prevention indicators. The funding will enable novel approaches to acquiring, analyzing, synthesizing and disaggregating data from multiple sources to ensure that overdose prevention strategies reduce racial and social inequities and improve health outcomes.
ALFA CEO, Chris Kliesch, states, “We are thrilled that ALFA has been selected by the CDC Foundation for their research project. Through this project ALFA will refine and expand our already robust data collection and contribute to saving lives by preventing overdose deaths.”
About ALFA
ALFA was organized in 1987 as a grassroots effort to provide support services to those affected by HIV in Burke County. With the leadership and dedication of staff, supporters and community partners, ALFA has grown into a multi-faceted organization that provides services and resources to 9 counties in Northwestern North Carolina, such as HIV and STI testing, sexual health education and resources, harm reduction, and services to people living with HIV, including case management, emergency financial assistance, food pantry and housing assistance. Learn more at alfainfo.org.
