Molly PetersGREENE COUNTY – The Greene County Health Department is proud to announce it has been awarded $50,000 in grant funding from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to support the development and implementation of an Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Team. This initiative is part of IDPH’s ongoing efforts to reduce overdose deaths in Illinois through collaborative, data-driven community responses.

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This grant will support Greene County in establishing a multidisciplinary team that will systematically review overdose fatalities in the region. The team will include representatives from public health, law enforcement, the Greene County Sheriff, the Greene County State’s Attorney, the Public Defender, emergency medical services, behavioral health, peer support teams, the Greene County Coroner's office, and other relevant stakeholders. Together, they will identify missed opportunities for prevention and recommend actionable strategies to save lives.

The initiative directly aligns with core objectives for OFR teams, including:

  • Improving data collection and sharing across agencies to better understand the circumstances surrounding overdose deaths;
  • Enhancing interagency collaboration to strengthen the local overdose response system;
  • Identifying system gaps and social determinants of health contributing to substance use and overdose fatalities;
  • Developing local, evidence-based strategies to prevent future overdose deaths and support individuals and families impacted by substance use.

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“We are grateful to for this opportunity to bring our community partners together to examine and respond to overdose deaths in a coordinated, informed way,” said Molly Peters, Public Health Administrator for the Greene County Health Department. “This funding enables us to build a local infrastructure to better understand the root causes of these tragic losses and take real steps toward prevention and recovery support.”

The development of an Overdose Fatality Review Team will strengthen the community’s ability to address substance use trends, identify targeted interventions, and ultimately reduce the number of lives lost to overdose in Greene County.

For more information about this initiative or to get involved, please contact the Greene County Health Department at (217) 942-6961 or visit greenecountyhd.org

About the Illinois Department of Public Health Overdose Fatality Review Program
The IDPH Overdose Fatality Review initiative is funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) grant. It aims to support local jurisdictions across Illinois in building sustainable, collaborative review teams to address the overdose crisis through data-informed prevention efforts.

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