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Posted 6/26/2020 (updated 3/28/2024)
This report provides recommendations for actions that state and local leaders can take immediately to increase evidence-based practices, decrease arbitrary determinations, and prevent overdose deaths. The report also provides concrete steps that will, in the longterm, help dismantle a siloed system of unequal access and disparities and move towards an integrated system that promotes restorative justice, where people and families are treated with dignity, and where addiction is treated as a health and wellness matter rather than one of moral failing or criminality.
Posted 4/12/2022 (updated 3/27/2024)
Since 1999, an estimated 841,000 people in the U.S. have died from a drug overdose. Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly exacerbated the overdose crisis resulting in a 30% increase in 2020 compared to 2019. The majority of overdose deaths in the U.S. involve opioids, including nearly 71% of all overdose deaths in 2019.3 Despite high rates of overdose across the nation, overdose and overdose death are preventable. However, people at risk of overdose often face significant challenges accessing treatment and navigating systems of care. Local and state health departments are well-suited to lead and support efforts to prevent and respond to overdose and to link people to evidence-based treatment and services. Peer support services (PSS) are a valuable component of a growing number of overdose response and linkage to care initiatives that can be implemented and supported by local and state health departments.