Pacific Health Analytics Collaborative

As a state, Hawai‘i has made tremendous progress in addressing substance use, however, drug overdose deaths remain an issue both here and across the United States. To acknowledge that a coordinated response to opioid and substance use and misuse is a high priority area, the Hawai‘i Opioid Initiative was formed to provide a platform for community stakeholders and government entities to engage.
In 2017, the State of Hawai‘i implemented a statewide action plan to address the opioid epidemic. Seven (7) Work Groups were formed to become the focus areas. The seven Work Groups include:

1. Treatment Access
2. Prescriber Education
3. Data-Informed Decision Making
4. Prevention & Public Education
5. Pharmacy-Based Interventions
6. Law Enforcement & First Responders
7. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT).

In cooperation with the State of Hawai‘i, Department of Health (DOH), Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD), the University of Hawai‘i, Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, Center on Aging, Pacific Health Analytics Collaborative (PHAC) was invited to serve as the evaluation team for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) State Opioid Response (SOR) and the Hawaii Opioid Initiative (HOI). The HOI UH Evaluation Team supports HOI program evaluation and coordination of activities. In addition to evaluation and coordination services, the UH HOI Evaluation Team offers technical assistance support to the Work Groups on a case-by-case basis. Please email phac+uheval@hawaii.edu.