Quality Insights' Impactful Work Against Opioid Misuse and Community Empowerment

Quality Insights actively addresses opioid misuse by combining education, community partnerships, data-driven initiatives, and resource creation. Focused on health literacy and community outreach, efforts target opioid misuse, especially among seniors, and has achieved measurable success in building community resilience and well-being.

Opioid misuse continues to be a significant public health challenge, particularly in vulnerable populations like seniors. Quality Insights identified gaps in awareness and community readiness, especially concerning opioid-related topics like surgery recovery and medication management. Using county-specific data, the team zeroed in on areas experiencing heightened barriers to care and access, ensuring their efforts were both targeted and impactful.

One of Quality Insights' defining strategies was working closely with key opioid-related organizations to prevent duplication of efforts and promote the spread of best practices. Quality Insights has fostered community health-focused activities such as wellness workshops, Partnerships for Community Health meetings, and 1:1 provider engagement reaching those most at risk. Over 20 educational resources focused on opioids and senior care were developed, bridging knowledge gaps and empowering communities with actionable information.

In collaboration with CHESS Health, Quality Insights further enhanced its ability to manage substance use disorders through innovative digital tools, reflecting its commitment to continuous improvement. Quality Insights also leveraged public media to extend its outreach. Dr. Jean Storm, Medical Director, appeared on KDKA Radio’s “Inside Connection” to discuss opioid misuse, chronic disease management, Medicare annual wellness visits, and immunizations. The segment reached over 25,000 listeners across Pennsylvania, northern, and central West Virginia, raising awareness of opioid-related challenges and available resources.

Throughout 2024, Quality Insights focused on high-risk education and intervention with the following results:

• 58 Wellness Workshops conducted across targeted regions.
• Distribution of 389 doses of naloxone (Narcan), along with 315 fentanyl test strips and 115 xylazine test strips to help communities detect and respond to overdose risks.