# Developing a Timely Opioid Overdose Detection Tool through a Tribally Engaged Approach

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2022 · $434,500

## Abstract

Project Summary
American Indian communities have been greatly affected by the opioid epidemic with many Tribes being
overwhelmed by opioid use and overdose. Among all racial/ethnic groups in the U.S, American Indians and
Alaska Natives have the highest rate of overdose fatalities from all opioids. Within Southern California, areas
encompassing American Indian Tribes have experienced some of the highest age-adjusted rates of opioid
overdose deaths, hospitalization, and emergency department visits. A key component to effectively responding
to the opioid epidemic is timely surveillance with sufficient granularity to reveal subpopulations and locations in
most need of resources. However, there is a significant lag in the amount of time it takes for opioid overdose
data to be publicized, making it difficult to implement a prompt public health response to prevent additional
morbidity/mortality. Although a substantial amount of work has gone into developing overdose surveillance
across state and county agencies, such tools are lacking in Indian Country. Moreover, a history of profiling and
stigmatizing American Indian Tribes with respect to substance use has hampered the development of Tribally
specific data collection and reporting efforts. The current proposal will overcome this limitation by adopting
technologies that upholds Tribal sovereignty in ownership, management, and oversight of how information is
gathered and shared with non-Tribal members including overdose prevention stakeholders. The goal of this
project is to adapt commercialized technologies to provide research-based solutions to the opioid crisis in
Indian Country. Through a partnership with a Tribal Fire Department and a software company providing data
analytics for public safety agencies, we are proposing to build a near real-time opioid overdose dashboard
within Tribal boundaries. Our study is guided by the following Specific Aims: 1. Evaluate the pragmatic merit of
developing a Tribally specific opioid overdose monitoring dashboard; and 2. Develop the technical process for
adapting commercialized technology to leverage Tribal Fire emergency response calls and medical examiner
data to build a Tribally specific opioid overdose dashboard. The public health significance of this study is to
build Tribal capacity to access, manage, and use data from existing sources and to apply that data to facilitate
real-time actionable responses towards circumventing the opioid epidemic. Knowledge gained from the
formative process of developing an opioid overdose dashboard will provide a blueprint to support community-
wide adoption by other Tribal Nations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10590167
- **Project number:** 1R21DA057677-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Tommi L Gaines
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $434,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10590167

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10590167, Developing a Timely Opioid Overdose Detection Tool through a Tribally Engaged Approach (1R21DA057677-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10590167. Licensed CC0.

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