The opioid addiction crisis has risen to epidemic levels in the greater Pittsburgh region, where hospitals handled nearly 2,000 overdose cases in 2014. The Allegheny County Health Department’s response marries public health and public safety in an attempt to more effectively incorporate responses from all sectors. FUSE Executive Fellow Colin Dwyer helped convene the various departments and community organizations that deal with the outcomes of the opioid epidemic in order to take a more holistic approach to addressing the problem. His work resulted in a new program administered by the Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services to leave behind naloxone, a medication that can be used to treat overdose victims. He also identified and engaged several community organizations that were high-potential distribution points for the medication to become part of the county-wide program.
COLIN DWYER (2016-17) has 15 years of private-sector and nonprofit experience, including investment banking, healthcare venture capital, and a biotechnology company he helped to build from startup through a $100 million IPO. Colin has also been a strategic consultant to a range of nonprofit organizations, including Covenant House Alaska, The United Farm Workers Foundation, and Kickstart International in Tanzania. Colin worked as a strategic adviser to the board of Faces & Voices of Recovery. Colin has a B.A. from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
2016-2017 | Allegheny County - Health Department