Information Resources for Overdose Prevention

Outlines federal drug policy priorities and promotes short and long-term solutions to reduce drug use, overdose, and other related harms in the U.S. Priorities include: expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder and other evidence-based treatment; advancing racial equity in drug policy; enhancing harm reduction efforts; supporting youth substance use prevention; reducing the supply of illicit substances; advancing recovery-ready workplaces; and expanding addiction workforce and access to recovery support services. Includes strategies to address substance use issues in rural and underserved communities.

Reports on the implementation, activities, and outcomes of state opioid response (SOR) grantees using data collected in fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022. Includes accomplishments for all the states and territories and rural mentions throughout.

Provides information to first responder agencies, communities, and other stakeholders to support practices and approaches for first responders to connect people to substance use treatment and other support services. Offers evidence-based strategies, public health approaches, resources, and program models, including best practices for responding to opioid overdoses. Considers potential challenges, such as those faced in rural areas, and other factors when implementing initiatives to support people who use drugs.

Summarizes key focus areas, needs, and recommendations of underrepresented rural and tribal law enforcement leaders in 9 states that were the result of a series of listening sessions with federal agencies. Includes topics such as substance use and addiction; mental health and medical care; illegal drug trafficking and related crime; school safety; and funding, among others. Describes ongoing federal responses to rural law enforcement concerns and highlights several best practices and new ideas to support local efforts to enhance public safety and reduce crime in rural and tribal areas.

Provides interactive data visualizations on drug poisoning mortality rates in the U.S. from 2003 through 2021. Shows national trends broken down by age, sex, and race and provides state and county-level data. Includes urban/rural trends by state for the estimated crude death rates for drug poisoning.

Provides guidance and resources to help individuals and communities build and strengthen community coalitions with the ultimate goal of decreasing opioid overdose deaths. Includes insights from rural communities and rural considerations.

Offers evidence-based opioid overdose prevention practices for community leaders, local and regional organizers, nonprofit groups, law enforcement, public health and other members of the public. Provides summaries of effective strategies to prevent opioid overdose and the context in which they are most effective. Discusses targeted naloxone distribution, including Good Samaritan laws, syringe services programs, criminal justice settings, and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and initiating MAT in emergency departments. Summarizes the major research on each practice and offers examples of organizations that have successfully used the strategies to reduce the risk of overdose.

Collaborates with tribal stakeholders across the U.S. to address issues related to the treatment of chronic pain and the use of heroin and prescription opioids among tribal populations. Works to promote appropriate and effective pain management, reduce opioid overdose deaths, and improve access to culturally appropriate substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Workgroup focus areas include prescriber support, treatment and recovery, harm reduction, program effectiveness metrics, technical assistance, and communications.

Serves as a clearinghouse of resources to assist law enforcement agencies across the country in establishing a naloxone program to reduce the harm and number of deaths associated with opioid overdose. Offers information on a range of topics related to operating a naloxone program, including naloxone medication and its role in law enforcement; acquiring and administering naloxone; training law enforcement; liability and risk issues; and collaboration with other agencies and stakeholders. Provides a variety of tools and materials, such as sample documents and templates for data collection forms, training materials, press releases, community outreach materials, and more. Product of the Bureau of Justice Assistance's (BJA) National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) funded by a contract through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP).

Documents the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from the Rural Opioid Overdose Reversal Program (ROOR), a 2015 pilot grant program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Includes resources to support related projects and programs, with links to training, data strategies, and outreach tools.

Provides an overview of a 2017 pilot project to enhance the ability of local health departments (LHDs) to address opioid use and overdose in their communities by working more effectively with state and local partners and reduce the occurrence of fatal and non-fatal overdose. Summarizes project activities and goals and a brief introduction to the four pilot sites: Bell County, Kentucky; Hillsborough County, New Hampshire; Montgomery County, Ohio; and Boone County, West Virginia.

Describes a benefit that covers opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment services under Medicare Part B medical insurance. Enables the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make bundled payments to certified opioid treatment programs (OTPs) for OUD treatment services for an episode of care provided to Medicare Part B beneficiaries. Covers the following services under the benefit: opioid agonist and antagonist medication-assisted treatment (MAT) medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), naloxone and overdose education, substance use counseling, individual and group therapy, toxicology testing, intake activities, and periodic assessments.

Provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Opioid Overdose Education & Naloxone Distribution (OEND) program. Focuses on reducing opioid overdoses and deaths among veterans through education and training for prevention, recognition, rescue response, and naloxone kit use. Includes OEND videos and materials for providers and patients.

Allows local organizations, providers, state and local health departments, and other stakeholders to add a free, customizable version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) opioid overdose website to their own websites. Helps communities disseminate online, current CDC opioid information and resources, as well as training on the CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain.

Toolkit sharing field guidance, resources, and presentations to support clinical decisions about starting, continuing, or tapering opioid therapy, and other challenges related to safe opioid prescribing. Includes patient and provider education, clinical tools, and other resources.

Offers comprehensive information and resources on the use of prescription opioids, managing chronic pain, and opioid use disorder (OUD) for patients and providers, specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and Indian Health Service (IHS) providers. Includes online tools, technical assistance resources, guides, and training for patients and providers on topics such as opioid crisis data, opioid prevention, proper pain management, opioid prescribing/stewardship, culturally appropriate practices, maternal health, harm reduction, naloxone use, child health and wellness, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), tele-MAT, trauma-informed care, best practices, supportive services, wellness courts, and training opportunities. Resource is an initiative of the IHS Alcohol and Substance Abuse Branch (ASAB).

Provides guidance to policymakers, communities, and key stakeholders to develop and implement system- and practice-level changes to reduce opioid overdose deaths. Presents results from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative's HEALing Communities Study. Outlines priority populations and 19 evidence-based interventions to prevent and reduce opioid related overdose deaths. Offers resources on various topics related opioid overdose and highlights model programs, including those serving rural areas.

Details the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services strategy to respond to drug overdoses and prevent overdose deaths across the U.S. Shares research, resources, and evidence-informed overdose interventions focused on 4 priority areas: primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment, and recovery support. Offers strategies and resources designed to increase coordination among key stakeholders, reduce stigma, and expand access to healthcare and treatment for underserved populations, including rural and tribal communities.

Shares information, resources, and tools organized around 7 strategies to help local and state health departments link people at risk of opioid overdose to care. Includes rural examples and discussion throughout.

Consists of a public health and public safety collaboration between the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) across the U.S. Seeks to help communities reduce fatal and non-fatal drug overdose rates by improving information sharing across agencies and supporting evidence-based interventions. Equips states with a Drug Intelligence Officer (DIO) and a Public Health Analyst (PHA) who are responsible for helping to increase communication, data flow, and intelligence sharing between public safety and public health sectors within and across states.

Fact sheet detailing a 6-step planning process to help schools and institutions of higher education develop or update emergency operation plans (EOPs) to address potential threats and issues resulting from opioid misuse and abuse. Discusses the 5 mission areas of preparedness for opioid-related emergencies and the effects of the opioid crisis on school-aged children, young adults, and school safety. Includes links to additional resources and information to aid in the development of school EOPs, and programs and activities to address an opioid overdose.

Describes how naloxone is used and the medication's side effects. Briefly discusses causes of opioid overdose. Highlights how the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is working with communities, local governments, local law enforcement, and state and federal partners to expand naloxone use.

Presents the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) 4-year strategic plan detailing the agency's guiding principles, priorities, goals, and objectives to address behavioral health needs in the U.S. Focuses on 5 key areas: preventing substance use and overdose; access to suicide prevention and mental health services; promoting resilience and emotional health for children, youth, and families; integrating behavioral and physical healthcare; and strengthening behavioral health workforce. Emphasizes behavioral health equity for underserved and/or historically marginalized populations, including rural and tribal communities.

Provides access to education materials developed by the VA Pharmacy Benefits Management Services (PBM) Academic Detailing Services (ADS) sharing evidence-based treatments to help providers improve the health of veterans. Offers provider and patient education tools and outreach resources to encourage evidence-based decision making for a variety of medical conditions and diseases, including opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD), pain, suicide, dementia, depression, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more.

Offers evidence-based information, recommendations, guides, and tools for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare providers and patients to assist in the decision making process to improve the treatment and outcomes for patients with substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), methamphetamine use, and co-occurring mental health conditions. Describes best practices to help patients avoid preventable complications, reduce substance use, and improve their overall health and wellness.