1. Home
  2. Program Models
  3. Community Overdose Action Team (COAT)

Community Overdose Action Team (COAT)

A comprehensive public health response to the opioid crisis in Montgomery County (Dayton, OH)

The Community Overdose Action Team (COAT) was established in 2016 to address the opioid crisis in Montgomery County.

The goals are to stabilize the number of people dying from drug overdoses and reduce the number of fatal overdoses. In addition, COAT identifies services being offered, looks for any existing gaps in services, and explores potential new or expanded ways to combat the drug overdose problem.

As part of this inter-agency collaborative approach, over 60 community leaders from numerous public and private organizations throughout Montgomery County are members of the Steering Committee that help guide the work. All aspects of reducing deaths due to drug overdoses are included in the effort.

Specific teams work on prevention, treatment, law enforcement, the court system, opioid prescription guidelines, education and outreach.

Read their annual report here. 

From 2017 to 2018, Montgomery County had a 49% decrease in accidental drug overdose deaths.

Continuum of Care
Full continuum of care
Prevention
Treatment
Recovery
Harm Reduction
Type of Evidence
Report with evaluation
Response Approach
Comprehensive services
Crisis intervention
Diversion
Educational
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
Overdose prevention
Syringe service program / Needle exchange
Related Resources
A Public Health Strategy for the Opioid Crisis
The Prescription Opioid and Heroin Crisis: A Public Health Approach to an Epidemic of Addiction
RxStat: A Public Health and Public Safety Collaboration for Responding to Problem Drug Use at the Municipal/County Level
Building Successful Partnerships between Law Enforcement and Public Health Agencies to Address Opioid Use
Integrating Public Health and Health Care Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic: The Oregon Health Authority’s Opioid Initiative
Community Forums to Address the Opioid Crisis: An Effective Grassroots Approach to Rural Community Engagement

Evidence of Program Effectiveness

Key accomplishments so far according to the annual report…from 2017 to 2018, 49% decrease in accidental drug overdose deaths, 53% decrease in law enforcement overdose calls, 53% decrease in overdose Emergency Department visits, and 50% decrease in naloxone doses administered by EMS.