Coordination among diverse community stakeholders is critical in mounting an effective response to the opioid crisis. Addressing this need, Pennsylvania formed the Opioid Overdose Reduction Technical Assistance Center (ORTAC) to help build county-level coalitions aimed at reducing overdose deaths. Participating stakeholders include treatment providers, first responders, clinicians and hospitals, courts and police departments, schools, faith communities, and peers in recovery. ORTAC hosts county community meetings to build a shared commitment to action, gather and present relevant data, assess capacity, and formulate a strategic plan addressing identified gaps in services. ORTAC helps coalitions to develop and evaluate programs and to seek funds to ensure sustainability. A research study covering the years 2016-2019 concluded that the 29 participating counties in ORTAC showed a 30% reduction in overdoses compared to 19 non-participating counties.

The ORTAC website provides a data portal where users can access county-level overdose death data analyzed by year, demographics, zip code, and type of drug. ORTAC also provides a resource locator to assist in finding treatment beds, naloxone, and drug take back boxes, as well as a resource center that links to trainings, webinars, ORTAC symposia, a faith community collaborative, and a guide to accessing treatment. A slide presentation on ORTAC describes its rationale and the process by which it builds coalitions and sustains effective overdose reduction initiatives.