DATA

Public Health/Drug Overdose Data for Cherokee County and Georgia

 
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The Georgia Department of Health has several data resources through their Drug Surveillance Unit. These markers give public health officials, the insight they need to coordinate their public health plans. 
As a group that focuses on drug prevention, Drug-Free Cherokee and Cherokee FOCUS use this data and other resources to organize media campaigns and make targeted decisions regarding resource use to effectively promote drug prevention within the community we serve.
 

OASIS

The Georgia Department of Public Health’s Online Analytical Statistical Information System, also known as OASIS is a key tool in health departments throughout the state. The health database which holds information on Georgia Public Health data has several categories such as Mortality/Morbidity, Maternal/Child Health (MCH), Infant Mortality, population characteristics, and behavioral surveys. The database holds public health data in the state of Georgia from 1999-2019.

Georgia Department of Health’s Drug Surveillance Unit

At Drug-Free Cherokee, in cohort with the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, we can make determinations on policy plan goals through resources like OASIS and the Drug Surveillance Unit that give us drug-related insight on Cherokee County in key categories, that can be represented through tables, graphs, and charts.
The Drug Surveillance Unit monitors overdose trends in Georgia and provides drug surveillance data to the public and to partners working to end the opioid epidemic.

Data Findings

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Drug Overdose Syndromic Surveillance Monthly Reports 

The Drug Surveillance Unit of the Georgia DPH, in coordination with local EMS teams across the state has created a monthly report. The report details the percentage of ER visits in relation to drug use, the report separates these figures into three categories. Drug-related OD ER visits, Opioid-related OD ER visits, and Heroin-related OD ER visits. Above are some key statistics, from the data in the link below.
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OASIS Trend-Line Data

As indicated by the Georgia Department of Health, the opioid epidemic in Georgia started around 2010. In general, Cherokee County followed state trends in the increase of opioid abuse specifically in the area of prescription drugs. Most of the opioid related death is from, natural non-synthetic opioids, unlike other areas that see increased deaths due synthetic opioids and methadone use.