Document text
Principal Investigator: Linda B. Cottler
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Fiscal Year: 2020
Award: $130,357
Funding agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
SUMMARY OF PARENT GRANT AND PROPOSED SUPPLEMENT
Parent Study: Through our parent U01, our National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) Coordinating
Center aims to provide NIDA and the field with the most timely, salient, and valuable information on emerging
substance use trends. By expanding data collection to include both former NDEWS sentinel sites as well as
former Community Epidemiology Workgroup (CEWG) sites, and by incorporating novel surveillance methods
to ensure early detection of signals of new psychoactive substances and known substances, our Early Warning
Network extends geographic representation and provides a more complete picture of the size, direction, and
depth of substance use patterns in all US Census regions. We will use novel surveillance methods to ensure
early detection of signals indicating emerging drug trends and harmonize surveillance data across sentinel and
CEWG sites. We will also conduct on-the-ground epidemiologic investigations on topics of immediate crisis or
need in order to provide functional feedback to impacted communities towards optimizing current and future
response, and we will disseminate results rapidly to the scientific community and the public alike.
Proposed Supplement: The current COVID-19 crisis underscores a need for rapid assessments of the virus’s
impact in substance-using populations throughout the NDEWS Early Warning Network, as people who use
drugs appear to be at increased risk for COVID-19-related adverse outcomes and may find it more difficult to
get care during the crisis. In addition, COVID-19 may alter one’s exposure to drug use, certain drugs, or might
change patterns of drug use altogether. As an Early Warning System, NDEWS must be on the forefront of new
trends in drug use, drug-related mortality, and drug treatment utilization, all of which may be either directly or
indirectly impacted by COVID-19. Although in-person human subjects research has been halted, COVID-19
focused efforts that must begin now—with creative strategies that allow for immediate data to assess the
impact of COVID-19 on substance use behaviors. In this proposed study, we will (Aim 1) collect rapid response
data on substance use-related consequences of COVID-19 from novel key informants across the country in the
urban, rural, and suburban areas represented by the 18 Early Warning Network sites, focused on decedents,
family members of decedents, and the community at large. Key informants will include 1) funeral directors
(n=200), 2) emergency medical service personnel (n=200), and 3) syringe exchange workers (n=75). We will
(Aim 2) detect trends in patterns of drug-related mortality, health services utilization, including overdose
reversals, and syringe exchange services by following up with key informants at 2, 3, 4, and 5 months post-
baseline. We will then (Aim 3) rapidly disseminate the data to NIDA, through media outreach, and contribute to
science through peer-reviewed publications. At a time when we cannot physically recruit or survey participants
in person due to the COVID-19 crisis, we believe this is an extraordinary opportunity to collect rich data from
key informants nationwide. Results will provide targets for new research strategies and prevention efforts.
Terms: <2019 novel coronavirus><2019-nCoV><AOD use><Active Follow-up><Administrative Supplement><Alcohol or Other Drugs use><Area><Behavior><COVID-19><COVID19><Caring><Cell Communication and Signaling><Cell Signaling><Censuses><Communities><Country><Data><Data Collection><Drug Therapy><Drug usage><Drug user><Drugs><Early Diagnosis><Emergency Health Services><Emergency medical service><Emergency response><Ensure><Epidemiologic Research><Epidemiologic Studies><Epidemiological Studies><Epidemiology><Epidemiology Research><Event><Exposure to><Family member><Feedback><Florida><Future><Geography><Health Services><Height><Human Resources><Human Subject Research><Institution><Interview><Intracellular Communication and Signaling><Investments><Knowledge><Manpower><Measures><Medication><Modification><NIDA><Naloxone><National Institute of Drug Abuse><National Institute on Drug Abuse><Needle-Exchange Programs><New York><Overdose><PWUD><Paramedic><Paramedical Personnel><Parents><Participant><Pattern><Peer Review><Persons><Pharmaceutic Preparations><Pharmaceutical Preparations><Pharmacotherapy><Population><Position><Positioning Attribute><Prevention><Public Health><Publications><Research><Research Proposals><Research Resources><Resources><Risk><Rural><SARS-CoV-2><SARS-CoV2><SARS-associated coronavirus 2><SARS-coronavirus-2><SARS-related coronavirus 2><Sampling><Science><Scientific Publication><Sentinel><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><Signal Transduction><Signal Transduction Systems><Signaling><Site><Social Distance><Source><Structure><Surveillance Methods><Survey Instrument><Surveys><Syringe-Exchange Programs><System><Time><Universities><Virus><Wuhan coronavirus><active followup><addiction><addictive disorder><adverse consequence><adverse outcome><biological signal transduction><corona virus disease 2019><coronavirus disease 2019><drug treatment><drug use><drug/agent><early detection><emergency service><epidemiologic><epidemiologic investigation><epidemiological><epidemiology study><experience><first responder><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><health service use><health service utilization><human subject><improved><informant><insight><mortality><needle exchange><new approaches><novel><novel approaches><novel strategies><novel strategy><operation><outreach><pandemic><pandemic disease><parent grant><people who use drugs><people who use illicit drugs><personnel><persons who use drugs><prospective><recruit><response><substance use><substance using><suburb><suburban><suburbia><surveillance data><syringe exchange><syringe exchange services><syringe service programs><trend><urgent health services><using substances>