Calls to city 311 lines can predict opioid overdose hotspots

Service requests to city non-emergency telephone lines can help identify “hotspots” for opioid use and overdoses, a study in Columbus found.

Researchers found that calls to the 311 line – used in many cities across the United States to report non-emergency issues – tracked closely to places and times in Columbus in which opioid overdose events were on the rise.

Findings showed that calls about code violations, public health and street lighting were the best indicators of opioid use in Columbus communities.