Quarterly
Newsletter
Spring 2020
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The Colorado State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) is a network of state agencies and data experts brought together to examine the patterns, context, and impact of substance use. The Colorado SEOW is associated with the Attorney General’s Office as the data committee for the Substance
Abuse Trend and Response Task Force. This unique relationship allows the SEOW to provide key leaders and legislators with information on substance use trends and to help inform the allocation of resources.
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 Upcoming
Meetings |
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The SEOW meets every other month on the
third Thursday from 9-11 a.m. Remote connection available. Future dates and presenters include the following:
- May 21, 2020 - 2019 HKCS, CDPHE
- July 16, 2020 - Stimulants
- September 17, 2020 - TBD
- November 19, 2020 - TBD
For more information on meeting locations and remote access, visit our website.
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 Ways To
Get Involved |
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Interested in contributing your perspective and expertise to further impact substance use efforts? - Attend an upcoming monthly meeting in person or virtually;
- Present data or data products at a monthly meeting;
- Share our newsletter with others in your network; and,
- Become an SEOW member.
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 What's
Happening |
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The Colorado SEOW has a new website (www.coloradoseow.org) containing information on the SEOW goals, workgroups, products, and meeting information.
At the end of 2019, the SEOW decided to adjust the meeting schedule moving forward. The SEOW will meet every other month. Due to COVID-19, the SEOW will conduct meetings virtually until further notice. Three of the six meetings will have
data presentations similar to previous meetings. The remaining three meetings will focus on specific data topics. SEOW leadership will inform members of the data topic and ask each partner to provide one to two data points from partner agencies. The group will review member data points during the meeting, offering each partner an opportunity to walk the group through their data. The SEOW will discuss patterns and trends across each data topic. Following the data discussions, the group will decide if the topic warrants creating a topical brief.
The SEOW hopes the new meeting format will support better products, increase member engagement, and provide opportunities for learning and networking. Please see the "Upcoming Meetings" section for more information on presentations and
data topics. If you are interested in presenting or have an idea for a data topic, please contact us.
The Steering Committee (SC) has altered its schedule to meet on months the larger SEOW does not meet. The SC creates agenda, discusses strategic direction, and reviews progress on the SEOW’s goals. The SC will focus on
recruitment to diversify the SEOW's membership geographically to be more representative of Colorado. If you are interested in participating in Steering Committee meetings, please contact Sharon Liu.
The SEOW previously had three workgroups, including the Alcohol Policy Workgroup, the Data Workgroup, and the Training Workgroup. In 2020, the Data Workgroup became two new workgroups: the Topical Brief Workgroup and the Epi Profile Workgroup. If you are interested in joining any SEOW workgroup, please contact us.
The Alcohol Policy Workgroup formed to research evidence-based policies to reduce excessive drinking in Colorado. In partnership with Change Labs Solutions, the group finalized a guide for understanding and addressing Alcohol Outlet Density at the community level. The group plans to develop a complementary resource for communities to measure alcohol outlet density at the local level. For more information on using the guide, please contact Kacy Crawford, alcohol epidemiologist at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.
The Topical Brief Workgroup will develop three briefs each year on topics identified by the SEOW. As mentioned, the new SEOW meeting format will feature three topics per year with input from all SEOW members. We hope to use data topics as a basis for developimg topical briefs. We will discuss stimulants during the July meeting. The SEOW has yet to identify the topic after stimulants.
The Epi Profile Workgroup will develop epidemiological profiles every other year beginning in 2020. Originally, the SEOW created profiles of alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and demographic information in Colorado. The Epi Profile Workgroup will discuss updating data within the profiles, adding or eliminating data, and developing new profiles for additional substances.
The Training Workgroup formed to address data access and usage needs
identified by local public health departments. The group developed a data literacy manual to build the capacity of local public health professionals to find, request, and assess the quality of secondary data. The SEOW originally planned to disseminate the manual to local public health departments and other community professionals. However, to increase use we will transform the contents of the manual into online learning modules through support from the Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center. The workgroup hopes the online version will be more accessible and useful for public health professionals. The group had planned to present the manual at Colorado Public Health Association’s 2020 Culture of Data Conference and the 2020 Shared Risk and Protective Factors Conference. However, due to cancelations
because of CO-VID 19, the group plans to present at the 2020 Public Health in the Rockies in August. Alcohol Policy Workgroup, the Data Workgroup, and the Training Workgroup.
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| Additional Reports and Resources
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| As many of you are aware, professional conferences across the country have been cancelled due to COVID-19. In Colorado, the Colorado Public Health Association’s 2020 Culture of Data Conference and the 2020 Shared Risk and Protective Factors Conference have been cancelled.
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Drugs of Abuse: A DEA Resource Guide, 2020 Edition"[The guide] is designed to be a reliable resource on the most commonly abused and misused drugs in the United States. [It] provides important information about the harms and consequences of drug use by describing a drug’s effects on the body and mind, overdose potential, origin, legal status, and other key facts."
To view the guide, click here.
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"During 2015–2018, an estimated 1.6 million U.S. adults aged ≥18 years, on average, reported past-year methamphetamine use; 52.9% had a methamphetamine use disorder, and 22.3% reported injecting methamphetamine within the past year. Co-occurring substance use and mental illness were common among those who used methamphetamine within the past year."
To view the full report, click here.
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"Opioids were involved in approximately 70% (46,802) of drug overdose deaths during 2018, representing decreases from 2017 in overdose death rates involving all opioids (2% decline), prescription opioids (14%), and heroin (4%); rates involving synthetic opioids increased 10%. " To view the full report, click here.
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