Prevention

The next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is on April 22, 2023. If you have unused or expired prescription medications, you can locate a safe and convenient disposal drop off location using the U.S Drug Enforcement Association's (DEA) website. The DEA aims to help the public remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing announced a toolkit, Public Safety-led Community-oriented Overdose Prevention Efforts (PS-COPE), which provides framework to use to enhance overdose prevention and response in the Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities. The toolkit provides tips, tools, and resources to help integrate this approach into existing overdose prevention and response efforts.

HRSA announced more than $104 million awarded to expand treatment and prevention services for substance use in rural communities.  The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program is a multi-year initiative that has invested more than $500 million since its start in 2018. 

HRSA announced more than $104 million awarded to expand treatment and prevention services for substance use in rural communities.  The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program is a multi-year initiative that has invested more than $500 million since its start in 2018. 

Background: The US overdose crisis is driven by fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioids. One evidence-based policy response has been to broaden naloxone distribution, but how much naloxone a community would need to reduce the incidence of fatal overdose is unclear. We aimed to estimate state-level US naloxone need in 2017 across three main naloxone access points (community-based programmes, provider prescription, and pharmacy-initiated distribution) and by dominant opioid epidemic type (fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioid).

Following reports of increased calls to Poison Control related to Ivermectin [pdf], the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory against its use for prevention or treatment of COVID-19.  The drug is intended to treat or prevent parasites in animals and only approved for human use in small doses for parasitic worms, or as a topical treatment for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.  Severe illness and hospitalizations from overdose have also been reported; symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death.  HRSA-supported Poison Control Centers can be reached online or by phone at 1-800-222-1222.

Effective Harm Reduction Strategies for People Who Actively Use Opioids and/or Psychostimulants Participants will learn evidenced-based harm reduction strategies to keep people who use opioids and psychostimulants alive with reduced disease burden. Presenters will discuss methods of engaging people who actively use opioids and/or psychostimulants, harm reduction interventions, overdose prevention and response, overamping prevention and response, and linkages to care.

People suffering from addiction or people who are in recovery from the condition, face a variety of challenges, including, in many cases, in their interactions with health-care services. Many of these challenges may be attributed to the stigma that still clings unhelpfully to addiction. It may also be due to a surprising lack of awareness even among health-care professionals about the nature of addiction and the susceptibilities and anxieties of those initiating or attempting to sustain recovery. This review and report is a starting point, an attempt to get a handle on the state of play and the issues that need addressing when it comes to pain management in people with current or past addictions. It helps to identify gaps in knowledge, understanding, skill, practice and culture, pointing the way to how these deficiencies might be remedied.

CDC created this communication toolkit to help public health professionals, health departments, community organizations, and healthcare systems and providers reach populations who may need COVID-19 prevention messaging in their native languages.