Horizon Behavioral Health in partnership with Lynchburg-Central Virginia Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), and the Central Virginia Addiction and Recovery Resources (CVARR) coalition, have created the Data to Action Resource Team (DART) to better understand how societal factors are impacting substance use and mental illness in Central Virginia.

This team is compiled of individuals representing multiple sectors including health, law enforcement, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), behavioral health service providers, business community, housing, etc. DART will be committed to collecting and analyzing data to identify trends, contributing factors, and overall impact of substance use and mental illness in Central Virginia.

There are multiple state and local organizations doing the great work of collecting data and creating reports. However often times the data is not provided to the public for months to years later, additionally the data is not always comprehensive. It does not paint an entire picture. This suppresses the community’s ability to respond collectively in a timely manner with potentially successful prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery strategies.

The goal is to utilize the data from the Annual DART Report to educate and inform the community, assist with identifying and prioritizing needs; aid in developing action plans to address contributing factors; and help determine and gain the resources needed to address challenges related to substance use and mental illness in Central Virginia.