Empowering a breakthrough

Partnering on a rare opportunity to make an impact

The opioid crisis, which began in the 1990s, accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the highest number of drug-related overdoses on record. Today’s substance use disorder (SUD) treatment system is struggling to provide adequate treatment that integrates whole-person care.¹   

The Elevance Health Foundation , the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health, works to advance health equity by focusing on improving the health of the socially vulnerable. The foundation has committed to investing $30 million over a three-year period supporting programs that address mental health, with an emphasis on substance use disorder. 

Through this funding, the foundation is supporting the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy’s Opioid Abatement Needs and Investment tool, a digital, interactive tool that will help leaders address the opioid crisis at a community level. 

Opioid Abatement Needs and Investment (OANI) tool

Duke-Margolis and Third Horizon Strategies worked in partnership to create this first-of-its-kind tool. The OANI tool is an interactive resource that will help local, municipal, and state leaders address the opioid epidemic in their communities.

The opioid settlement fund inspired the initiative, which consists of nationwide settlements that were reached to resolve state and local opioids litigation. The monies from the settlements are to be used for abatement of the opioid epidemic, including funding future abatement efforts.

The OANI tool aims to help policymakers maximize the use of these funds in their communities. It provides information on the potential need for opioid use disorder treatment and recovery services, based on geography, as well as the targeted community’s ability to meet those needs. “The goal of this opioid abatement tool is to provide local decision-makers with a resource and guidance to invest opioid settlement funds in efforts and supports that address the addiction needs and challenges unique to their communities,” says Dr. Mark McClellan, Director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. “Both in the short- and long-term, this resource will help cities and states build and strengthen their social services infrastructure to better combat and treat opioid use disorder comprehensively.”

Technology’s opportunity to address the problem

Over the next two years, the OANI tool will inform best practices for community-level investments in sustainable, recovery-oriented infrastructure. It will help provide a solution to the opioid crisis due to its predictive modeling, which is based on the social drivers of health (SDOH) in selected communities. The five determinants are environmental conditions in which people are born, live, work, play, worship, and age. All these factors affect individuals’ whole health.² 

By supplying data on where and what type of treatment services a locale may need, the tool helps communities get ahead of that need. Communities can proactively plan for and implement services. Over time, communities will provide treatment for more individuals, more efficiently. “The OANI tool’s goal is to help policymakers use opioid settlement funds for maximum impact in their communities, by accounting for healthcare service availability and the broader socioeconomic resources,” notes Dr. Dheeraj Raina, Medical Director, Carelon Behavioral Health. “Supporting the development of the OANI tool is part of Elevance Health’s journey to becoming the lifetime, trusted health partner to the people we serve.”

Looking ahead to ending the crisis

Stakeholders expect the project to have significant impact on where to invest opioid settlement funds in various communities. By capturing users’ feedback, the tool’s effectiveness will become more refined and detailed over time. As a result, local and municipal officials will be better equipped to make informed decisions on where to deliver services in their locales.

Furthermore, by funding the project and its expected impact through 2024, the Elevance Health Foundation will continue to emerge as a leader in supporting projects that help to solve substance use disorders. The foundation is naturally aligned with the project, as the OANI tool corresponds with the foundation’s goal of being part of the solution to the opioid epidemic. “The Elevance Health Foundation is committed to strengthening our communities and advancing health equity for all,” says Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Chief Health Officer, Elevance Health. “With millions of Americans struggling with substance use disorder, it’s more important than ever to deliver solutions on a local, state, and national level. The OANI tool will directly help local and county officials by providing additional guidance and resources, allowing them to make more informed decisions within their communities.” 

Elevance Health Foundation looks forward to working with Duke-Margolis and Third Horizon Strategies on raising awareness about the opioid crisis, and eventually ending it. More information about this work is available here .