Overdose Fatality Review (OD Stat) 

OD Stat is the City’s multidisciplinary overdose fatality review team led by the Managing Director’s Office (MDO), the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS). On a quarterly basis, the OD Stat team completes in-depth reviews of the lives of four individuals lost to an accidental drug overdose. In addition to providing valuable data to inform policies and programs in Philadelphia, OD Stat seeks to acknowledge the people impacted and lost in the overdose crisis and seeks to better understand the complex circumstances surrounding substance use and overdose risk in Philadelphia. The OD Stat process is largely based on qualitative data which complements and offers context to the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction’s many quantitative datasets.

The review process begins with obtaining data from city agencies including:

  • Prisons

  • Police

  • Probation/Parole

  • Homeless Services/Street Outreach

  • Human Services

  • Substance use/Behavioral health treatment records

  • Infectious Disease Testing

  • Emergency Services

In addition to obtaining data from city agencies, the OD Stat team also receives medical records from area hospital systems and, whenever possible, conducts interviews with the friends and family of the individuals reviewed. Throughout the review process, the team identifies missed opportunities for intervention, collaborating to develop policy and programmatic recommendations aimed at overdose prevention. The OD Stat team shares recommendations with agencies, tracking progress or identifying barriers to implementation throughout the process.   

Meet the team

  • Daneesha Dent, MA

    OD Stat Program Manager

    Daneesha.P.Dent@phila.gov

    Daneesha (she/her) is a clinician with a background in Clinical Counseling, Forensic, and Trauma Psychology. With over 15 years of experience, she views efforts towards wellness as a collaborative process where the individual, their loved ones, and those who provide their care, enter into an agreement towards lifelong healing, growth, and change. Her perspectives on prevention and recovery are holistic, multidisciplinary, and heavily focused on the intersectionality of an individual’s identities. As a strong believer in the power of truth and healing, Daneesha has worked with those who have experienced trauma, substance use, mental illness, and being unhoused while aiding in their walks towards owning their life’s journey. Daneesha has a proven track record of success in providing direct care as a sexual violence therapist at WOAR, The Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence. With the understanding that therapy is a very intimate and subjective experience, she has training and certifications in the following strengths-based approaches: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma Processing Yoga Group Therapy (TPYG), Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Prolonged Exposure (PE), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Reality Therapy, Play Therapy, and Mindfulness. While at WOAR, Daneesha was also the co-lead to the Survivor Academy, which prepared survivors to speak publicly about their experiences of sexual violence. One notable successes of this program was helping legislators understand the impact of sexual violence in regards to the statute of limitations on sexually violent crimes, prosecution of such crimes, and educating law enforcement on the nature of sexual violence. She most recently served as a Public Health Program Analyst with the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) providing administrative oversight, management , and analysis of program budgets and services.

    Daneesha’s educational background includes the following: a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and Psychology, from Temple University; and a Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling with a concentration in Forensic Psychology and Trauma, from Rosemont College. She is also published in several peer reviewed journals based on collaborative articles on the topics of intimate partner violence and experiences of Black women who are therapists.

  • Chanele Lomax, MPH

    OD Stat Project Assistant

    Chanele.Lomax@phila.gov

    Chanele (she/her) received her master’s degree in public health (MPH) with a concentration in epidemiology from Temple University. Her work experience includes working on multiple projects focusing on cancer research and the relationship between diets and fertility outcomes. Through these projects, Chanele gained in-depth experience in participating in interdisciplinary projects. After her academic pursuits, Chanele worked as a Graduate Student Epidemiology Program intern at the DC Department of Health. During this time, she identified how financial, social, and mental health factors influenced maternal health outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic. This experience fueled her desire to serve her community on a large scale. Chanele is looking forward to applying her skills and support to the Overdose Fatality Review team to promote improved quality of life and positive health outcomes.