Indiana gets $21M grant for drug overdose data collection

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana has landed a $21 million federal grant to boost its efforts to collect enhanced data for the state's drug overdose prevention efforts.

The Indiana State Department of Health is getting $7.1 million a year for three years under its grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some of that funding will go toward obtaining more timely data on drug overdose patients treated at hospital emergency departments so that health providers can respond more quickly to emerging threats.

The grant will also help enhance Indiana's prescription drug monitoring program to provide health records electronically to small physician practices and improve real-time access to patient prescription histories.

Money will also go toward creating online opioid prescribing courses for dentists and post-overdose treatment protocols for emergency departments.