Arizona Funding Priorities

Overdose prevention funding - Arizona

There were 107,968 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2022 (34.6 deaths per 100,000 standard population), a 1.2% increase from 2021.1

• There were 2,664 overdose deaths in Arizona in 20222
• There were 37.2 overdose deaths per 100,000 people (age-adjusted) in Arizona in 20222

Overdose prevention programs

• Overdose Data to Action in States
  • Arizona Department of Health Services: $4,703,386

• Overdose Data to Action: LOCAL
  • Maricopa County Department of Public Health: $2,892,500
  • Pima County Health Department: $2,544,375

• Public Health and Public Safety
  • Overdose Response Strategy: $87,600*

*average award amount

Examples of how Arizona is working to prevent overdose

Expanded naloxone distribution and support

Arizona redesigned its opioid data dashboard to better identify areas that needed additional naloxone distribution and support. This tool improved outreach and education in rural, underserved, and high burden communities about the importance of becoming a naloxone distributor. It also helped staff expedite naloxone shipments by partnering with new naloxone distribution agencies.

Increased overdose training and education

Arizona trained four county health departments on opioid overdose recognition and naloxone distribution. The state provides naloxone administration education materials to these county health departments for their community outreach efforts and will work with them to create county-specific resources such as tailored naloxone administration brochures.

Expansion of hospital access

The University of Arizona Center for Rural Health developed and administered surveys to assess the state's 16 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to inform the implementation of a comprehensive opioid management program. These efforts identified opportunities, gaps, and barriers that helped CAH leadership teams better understand existing opioid prevention and treatment practices to maximize their capacity to prevent and test opioid use disorder.

Culturally responsive education

Combating Overdose through Community-Level Intervention (COCLI) recipient, Amistades Inc., and partners engaged Latino populations by delivering linguistically and culturally appropriate messages, education, and services. For example, the Noche Oscura Overdose Task Force deployed a culturally responsive substance use prevention education program (Thrive)for youth ages 12-19. The Thrive Program, focused on psychostimulant opioids, was delivered in two waves, and evaluation data indicated improved prevention knowledge among middle and high school student participants.