The Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) is an initiative designed to enhance public health-public safety collaboration and strengthen efforts to reduce drug overdose deaths. The ORS is funded by CDC and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to help communities reduce fatal and non-fatal drug overdose rates by improved information sharing across public health and public safety agencies, and by supporting evidence-based intervention.
As of July 2021, there are ORS Public Health Analyst (PHA) and Drug Intelligence Officer (DIO) positions in 50 states, the District of Columbia (D.C.)., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. PHA positions are funded by CDC through the CDC Foundation and DIO positions are funded by ONDCP through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. These state teams form the foundation of the ORS and work to promote overdose prevention and response efforts, and increase communication, data flow, and intelligence sharing between public safety and public health within and across ORS states.
The CDC Foundation seeks candidates for a full-time PHA to support the ORS. This position will support efforts of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Drug Control and Policy (ODCP), Appalachia HIDTA, and other key partners in the development and implementation of drug overdose information sharing systems and evidence-based prevention programs.
The PHA will work a hybrid schedule with regular visits to partner offices in Charleston, WV. Periodic travel to meetings within the state, and travel out of state to regional meetings and the ORS Annual Conference is required. Relocation expenses are not provided.
Responsibilities
- Facilitate data sharing and joint initiatives between public health and public safety agencies and organizations that are designed to address illicit drug use and overdose
- Conduct timely data analysis and reporting on public health/safety trends
- Collaborate with the DIO to build partnerships between local HIDTA program(s) and public health entities
- Coordinate and facilitate Naloxone education and distribution program to law enforcement, community members, and other first responders
- Develop specialized knowledge of the funding, strategies, and priorities of public health, behavioral health, and public safety (i.e., attending joint meetings, supporting collaborations and cross-sector strategies)
- Facilitate communication to support alignment, identify duplication, and improve efficiency
- Develop/maintain specialized knowledge of significant drug use and overdose related datasets in WV
- Identify and promote promising overdose prevention interventions at the intersection of public health and public safety in WV
- Support statewide and local reporting (i.e., morbidity/mortality, drug types/trends, toxicology, mapping, demographics, etc.
- Support collaboration and coalition building across the state
- Support and evaluate public safety-led interventions designed to connect people who use drugs to care and treatment
- Support timely response to requests for information (RFIs) (i.e., including legislative or executive requests)
- Conduct overdose, drug use, and drug availability related data analyses on behalf of partner agencies, as needed
- Collaborate with partners to develop data-driven strategies
- Present to diverse audiences on overdose trends and local response efforts
- Identify and facilitate confidential/LES data-sharing as needed and appropriate
- Support projects that enhance public health/public safety collaborations through the identification of appropriate local partners, qualitative and quantitative data collection, and dissemination of project findings
- Support ODMAP implementation and expansion
- Other duties as assigned
Required Qualifications
- Master’s degree in public health, the social sciences or a related field and minimum of 1 year of relevant experience; or Bachelor’s degree in public health, the social sciences or related field and minimum of 3 years of relevant experience; Associate’s degree with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience; or a high school diploma with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience Minimum of three (3) years of relevant work experience
- Professional experience or demonstrated interest in substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction, drug policy and/or public health and public safety partnership
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills (i.e., meeting coordination, coalition building, training facilitation)
- Familiarity with the WV overdose/drug environment
- Demonstrated ability to work well independently and within teams
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively and build partnerships with diverse partners, including law enforcement professionals
- Familiarity with WV public health/public safety infrastructure
- Demonstrated experience collaborating with law enforcement in WV
- Experience in data collection and analysis, and developing written materials with actionable recommendations
- Strong quantitative data analysis skills and experience including analyses (i.e., SAS, STATA, SPSS, etc.), data visualization (i.e., GIS), reporting, dissemination, and developing data-driven strategies
- Proficiency in data visualization tools to create accessible data presentations for a variety of stakeholders
- Ability to be flexible and respond to unexpected circumstances
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
- Experience and understanding of evidence-based practices in overdose prevention and response
Desired Qualifications
- Professional experience related to substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction, drug policy and/or public health and public safety partnership
- Experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders and engaging in strategic partnerships
- Experience in program coordination and evaluation, including logic model development
- Experience with research, federal/state report writing, developing materials, including abstracts, proposals, and presentations
About the CDC Foundation
- The CDC Foundation helps CDC save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC’s critical health protection mission. The CDC Foundation manages hundreds of programs each year impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. Visit www.cdcfoundation.org for more information.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law.
We comply with all applicable laws including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.
The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment.
Relocation expenses are not included.
