Measuring What Matters: Using OSPRI and OMM to Strengthen Overdose Prevention
By Anna Barnes, Sarisa Roe, and Abigail Winiker
Across the country, opioid settlement funds are being used in a variety of ways by states and localities to prevent overdose and address substance use disorders, including naloxone distribution, treatment access, recovery support, harm reduction services, peer programs, and other evidence-based approaches.
As these investments grow, so does the need to answer an important question:
Are these efforts making a difference?
Measuring both outputs (what was implemented) and outcomes (what changed as a result) is important for understanding which strategies are working, improving programs over time, and demonstrating accountability for opioid settlement investments.
Because overdose prevention efforts vary widely, no single measure can capture success across every program. Instead, communities need flexible measurement tools that can be adapted to different goals and audiences.
Two complementary resources were developed to meet this need: the Opioid Settlement Principles Resource and Indicators (OSPRI) and Overdose Measures Matter (OMM). While they serve different purposes, together they provide an accessible starting point for groups interested in measuring and improving their overdose prevention efforts.
OSPRI: Selecting Indicators for Opioid Settlement Investments
OSPRI (Opioid Settlement Principles Resource and Indicators) was developed to help states and localities evaluate the different types of programs supported through opioid settlement funds.
Hosted on the Opioid Principles website, OSPRI includes 105 evidence-informed indicators that users can search and filter based on:
- Abatement strategy (for example, expanding access to naloxone)
- Public health continuum (primary prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery)
- Setting
- Desired outcome or change
Because it covers such a broad range of strategies, OSPRI functions as an indicator library. Users can identify measures that best align with the specific programs they are funding and evaluating.
Developed by a working group from Vital Strategies and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with contributions from The Pew Charitable Trusts, Shatterproof, the CDC Foundation, and the National Association of Counties and piloted by the Colorado Attorney General’s office and the North Carolina Association of Counties – OSPRI is a vetted and sound tool.
OSPRI is particularly valuable for entities – such as county and local government administration – responsible for planning, managing, and evaluating opioid settlement investments across multiple initiatives.
OMM: Measuring Community Progress in Overdose Prevention
While OSPRI provides a broad menu of indicators, Overdose Measures Matter (OMM) offers a focused set of measures designed to help communities understand and improve overdose prevention efforts.
Developed by the CDC Foundation and informed by CDC’s overdose prevention strategies, OMM includes 18 indicators organized into six priority areas:
- Harm reduction
- Health access
- Linkage to care
- Partnerships
- Peer workforce support
- Stigma reduction
OMM was developed with extensive input from practitioners, externally reviewed by state and local health departments, and pilot-tested in seven communities.
OMM helps communities monitor progress in key areas that they select and prioritize for data collection. OMM is designed for community coalitions, local health departments, funders, and other partners working together to improve overdose outcomes at the community-level.
How the Tools Work Together
Used together, these two tools create a stronger evaluation approach:
- Use OSPRI to identify indicators aligned with specific opioid settlement-funded projects.
- Use OMM to monitor broader community progress and understand whether overdose prevention strategies are producing meaningful change.
Together, OSPRI and OMM help communities move beyond simply documenting activities to demonstrating measurable impact.
Getting Started
Whether you’re managing opioid settlement investments, implementing overdose prevention programs, or evaluating community initiatives, OSPRI and OMM can help you build a stronger measurement strategy.
Implementation support is also available from the CDC Foundation, Vital Strategies, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
For additional information or to request implementation support, contact:
Anna Barnes serves as the Senior Program Officer at the CDC Foundation. She oversees a portfolio of projects supporting public health, community-based organizations and medical examiner and coroner offices in building data capacity for overdose prevention.
Sarisa Roe, MPH serves as a Research and Evaluation Analyst at the CDC Foundation where she supports the development and dissemination of Overdose Measures Matter.
Abigail Winiker, PhD, MSPH, is an Assistant Scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Program Director for the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative.