Data Sources

Data are integral to developing, implementing, and evaluating effective strategies to reduce drug and alcohol abuse. Following are some examples of state and local data sources, as well as several tips to identify additional sources of local data.

Census Data
The U.S. Census provides numerous local data on demographics and socio-economic factors.

County Health Rankings and Roadmaps
This county health rankings website provides an interactive look at your jurisdiction’s health profile, including many data points related to determinants of health and health outcomes.

The Maryland Public Opinion Survey (MPOS) and the Maryland Young Adults Survey on Alcohol (MYSA)
The BHRT program disseminates bi-annual surveys on alcohol and other drug use across Maryland. For more information on these surveys, contact BHRT@rx.umaryland.edu.

National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
NSDUH provides regional data on drug use and mental health. For more information on available data, contact BHRT.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
The YRBSS provide jurisdiction-level data on a variety of health measures. The data is collected from a sample of high school students every two years. For more information on available data, contact BHRT.

CRISP Opioid Indicator Dashboards
The CRISP dashboards provide Maryland health department employees access to several data sets related to prescription drug use, hospitalizations, and fatalities.

Community Health Needs Assessments
Local health departments release local health profiles that include important information on demographics trends, socioeconomic indicators, health data, and department priorities.

Maternal and Infant Health Profile
This jurisdiction-level health data from the Maryland Department of Health’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System include data on maternal substance use.

MD Highway Safety Data
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration publishes jurisdiction-level data related to alcohol and drug impaired crashes.

Additional Sources of Local Data:

• In addition to the needs assessments conducted by local health departments, other organizations, such as hospital systems, may publish their own community health needs assessments.

• Relationship-building with local law enforcement, hospitals, schools, and non-profits may foster opportunities for data-sharing.

• Many local agencies, including departments of health, have data analysts who may be able to share data their agency collect.