CDC: Awards 49 States to Help Prevent Drug Overdoses 　

Emergency Message System

September 4th, 2023

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded $279 million to 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 40 local health departments to help stop overdoses within their communities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded $279 million to 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 40 local health departments to help stop overdoses within their communities. The resources come from two new Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) funding opportunities and fill a longstanding gap in funding for local communities by specifically supporting city, county, and territorial health departments.

The announcement of this award comes on International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31), a day to remember and grieve those that we’ve lost, take action to encourage support and recovery, and help end overdose by spreading awareness about drug overdose prevention.

“The growing overdose crisis ― particularly among young people ― requires urgent action,” said Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “To help, CDC is providing funding that will allow communities to respond more quickly, more effectively, and more equitably — using data to drive action steps that reduce overdose deaths and related harms in communities as fast as possible.”

Changes in the illicit drug supply, the continued threats from illegal fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, a rise in stimulant use, and the use of multiple drugs at one time are all making substance use deadlier than ever.

Three things that can be done to prevent overdose deaths:

1. Increase access and reduce barriers to proven treatment and recovery support services for all people who have substance use disorder(s), like medications for opioid use disorder, and, when appropriate, include culturally tailored practices.

2. Raise awareness about illegally made fentanyl and polysubstance use (the use of more than one drug) and reduce stigma around treatment, recovery, and harm reduction.

3. Support harm reduction by expanding the distribution of and education about the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug, naloxone, expand access to harm reduction services (e.g., distribution of naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and syringe service programs, as allowable), and expand education about substance use risks in populations that have been disproportionately impacted.