Free Resources to Track Opioid, HIV, and HCV Indicators by State

The opioid crisis in the United States has led to increases in HIV and hepatitis C infections, as well as increases in opioid-related deaths. Community leaders may be unaware of the true impacts of the opioid crisis and thus, do not understand the need for a comprehensive response. As part of efforts to get timely and accurate information to public health and community leaders, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, recently launched their Opioids & Health Indicators website. This new tool can help communities and organizations develop policies and programs to address the specific needs within their region. Users can select a specific state and congressional district to view key facts including:

• Total population
• Percent of individuals without health insurance coverage
• Number of individuals living with HIV or hepatitis C
• Drug-related death (incidence and rates)
• Percent of individuals in need of, but not receiving, treatment for substance use disorders
• Percent of Medicare Part D prescriptions that are opioids
• Number of syringe service programs
• Number of facilitates providing substance use disorder services
• Percent coverage of drug treatment by Medicaid
• Amounts and sources of federal funding

The website is free to use and information is downloadable in PDF format (see Washington, DC example). To learn how to use the website, register for amfAR’s information webinar on July 13, 2017 at 3:30pm ET. The webinar will feature case studies focused on using the database to track trends and inform public health programming.

Another convenient resource for visualizing viral hepatitis data is available at the AtlasPlus website developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Tools available on this site give you quick access to the latest data reported to the CDC to create maps, charts, and detailed reports and analyze trends and patterns. Ready-made resources include presentation-ready slides on each disease; county-level data on social factors such as poverty, education, and housing; and state health profiles that summarize surveillance data and state prevention and control programs. 

Sharing information from these resources is a great way to increase awareness and educate about the impacts of viral hepatitis, HIV, STDs, and TB in your community.