Research Project Summary
Opioid use has reached epidemic levels across the U.S., with more than 130 people dying each day from overdoses and billions spent in healthcare costs, making the opioid use disorder epidemic among the most urgent public health threats in America. The effects of the opioid epidemic have been acutely felt throughout New Jersey, despite efforts by health care, treatment and prevention, and law-enforcement officials to battle the epidemic. This project aims to utilize augmented reality visualization and field-based observations to look behind the scenes of the opioid epidemic in the City of Camden, New Jersey to make visible to the community the impacts of opioid use and abuse on overall community health. Augmented reality visualization and GIS mapping will be used to investigate opioid use and abuse within the community. An interactive visualization platform will be developed that will illustrate elements of the opioid epidemic, including how the team is measuring community levels of opioid use through the wastewater system, as well as additional resources related to care and prevention of opioid use disorder. A community outreach and education plan to disseminate the interactive platform and educational resources will be developed and disseminated to the broader community of Camden. The project aims to contribute to community understanding of health and resource disparities in the City of Camden regarding drug abuse treatment and allow for dissemination of work that will help improve the health and wellness of the community.
Research Project Goals
The project aims to utilize augmented reality visualization and field-based observations to look behind the scenes of the opioid epidemic in the City of Camden, New Jersey to make visible to the community the impacts of opioid use and abuse on overall community health.
Research Project Objectives
The project is divided into two parts:
• development of an augmented reality opioid use and abuse visualization platform for the community of Camden and
• development and implementation of a community outreach and educational plan for dissemination of the visualization platform and prevention and intervention resources.