This project has been shortlisted for the DPH 2019 Innovation Prize – Best Data Driven Innovation
Team: Florian Scheibein (Youth Organisations for Drug Action)
Outline: This project is a partnership with Youth Organisations for Drug Action (a network of youth organisations in Central and Eastern Europe), Help Not Harm (an Irish NGO), and the Nightlife Empowerment and Wellbeing Network (a network of over 30 European festival and nightlife harm reduction organisations). The central component of this project is the development of an app that connects people who use drugs to services; and services to people who use drugs. The app is currently being developed by the Egovernment of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics, National University of Ireland, Galways. The app has three primary functions: (1) facilitating easy access to local harm reduction services (opioid substitution therapy, needle syringe programs, drug checking programs, safer party services and sexual health/HIV services) in 15+ member states in 15+ languages; enabling a public health promotion system that automatically sends ‘red alerts’, ‘alerts’ and ‘cautions’ as identified by the Trans European Drug Information (T.E.D.I.) Network (a network of 13 European drug checking services); and a user submission function that allows citizens to submit unexpected drug results. This project will create the largest current map of European harm reduction services; a health promotion system for interacting with people who use drugs in realtime; and a way to gather information around the current situation. We are producing data which will lead to increased service uptake; increased engagement with services; identification of service gaps; effective monitoring and evaluation service implementation; identification of trends and emerging patterns; and tracking trends at a trans European level.
