In 2023, our nation witnessed the first annual decline in overdose deaths since 2018. In 2022, there have been over 111,000 deaths. In 2023, that quantity fell to 107,543. Although modest, this implies that nationwide efforts to cut back overdoses are making a optimistic influence. Nevertheless, the work isn’t completed.
In March 2024, the National Center for Health Statistics released a data report (PDF | 410 KB) analyzing overdose deaths from 2002 to 2022. Their outcomes present disparities that exist in deadly overdose between racial and ethnic teams. The inhabitants with the very best fee of deadly drug overdose in 2022 was Non-Hispanic American Indians and Alaska Natives, with a staggering 65.2 deaths per 100,000 individuals. This fee is roughly 13 instances greater than Non-Hispanic Asians, who had the bottom fee of 5.3 deaths per 100,000.
This information demonstrates the significance of elevating consciousness of this problem by campaigns like Worldwide Overdose Consciousness Day (IOAD). IOAD was established in 2001 in Australia as a day to recollect and honor those that now we have misplaced to overdose worldwide. Since 2012, the Penington Institute has led the marketing campaign, which is noticed yearly on August thirty first.
The 2024 theme for IOAD, “Collectively we are able to,” encourages neighborhood, unity, and motion, reminding us that now we have the ability to make a distinction after we work collectively. Cohesion between the Biden-Harris Unity Agenda for the Nation, the US Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) Overdose Prevention Strategy, and SAMHSA’s Strategic Plan permits for higher capacity to focus on overdose.
SAMHSA’s position in stopping overdose and overdose fatalities is supported by a spread of initiatives, together with grants, publications, and implementing regulatory adjustments that help prevention, therapy, hurt discount, and restoration efforts all through the nation.
Grants
The State Opioid Response (SOR) and Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) Grants permits grantees to handle obstacles people face when receiving medicines for opioid use dysfunction (MOUD), present hurt discount providers, and create a naloxone saturation plan. The TOR grant focuses on Indigenous populations, encouraging these communities to incorporate conventional cultural practices into their grant actions.
In keeping with SAMHSA’s 2022 Report to Congress on the SOR Grant (PDF | 1 MB), grantees distributed over 10 million kits of naloxone and reverse greater than 550,000 overdoses. Many grantees used their funds to help opioid therapy applications (OTPs) and office-based opioid therapy (OBOT), permitting practically 1.3 million people to obtain MOUD. For the reason that TOR program started in 2018, Tribes have bought and distributed practically 50,000 naloxone kits and 40,000 fentanyl testing strips and educated over 26,000 neighborhood members on the usage of naloxone.
The Harm Reduction Grant Program strengthens community-based applications to a spread of providers together with distributing opioid overdose reversal medicines, offering training on overdose, and referring people to look after HIV and hepatitis. Grantees may additionally use funds to purchase vital provides akin to fentanyl take a look at strips and syringes.
Publications
In early 2024, SAMHSA launched the Hurt Discount Framework, which offers a complete overview of hurt discount and its position in shaping the work of HHS. After SAMHSA’s first Hurt Discount Summit in 2021, a steering committee of specialists, together with these with lived expertise, helped inform the event of this framework.
Moreover, in 2024, SAMHSA revised its Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit. The up to date model of the doc contains sections tailor-made for various audiences. Audiences embrace first responders, sufferers taking prescription opioids, and individuals who use medicine. The toolkit contains info on hurt discount and opioid overdose reversal medicines akin to naloxone. Additionally it is out there in Spanish.
Regulatory Modifications
SAMHSA has performed a significant half within the revision and implementation of the Part 8 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These rules set the requirements for substance use therapy offered in opioid therapy applications (OTPs) and had not been up to date in over 20 years. The revisions to the 42 CFR Half 8 mirror the progress that the sector has made: rising entry to MOUD by offering telehealth and take-home treatment flexibilities for sufferers receiving care in OTPs, eliminating stigmatizing regulatory language, and emphasizing the significance of patient-centered care.
These actions are a small pattern of the work that SAMHSA does on a federal degree to forestall substance use, help hurt discount, and improve entry to therapy and restoration for substance use issues.
Holding in thoughts the theme for IOAD this yr, there are actions we are able to all take to honor Worldwide Overdose Consciousness Day on August 31 and make an influence all yr spherical.
Collectively we are able to:
If you happen to or somebody you already know is struggling or in disaster, assist is accessible. Name or textual content 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To discover ways to get help for psychological well being, drug, or alcohol points, go to FindSupport.gov. In case you are able to find a therapy facility or supplier, you may go on to FindTreatment.gov or name 800-662-HELP (4357).
