Trump discusses the Overdose Response Strategy by ONDCP and CDC to combat rising drug overdose threats.

Trump discusses the Overdose Response Strategy by ONDCP and CDC to combat rising drug overdose threats.

[Rising to the Challenge Together: How ONDCP and CDC support jurisdictions through the Overdose Response Strategy] Overdose threats are evolving. Our response must keep pace. Drug overdose remains one of the Nation’s most urgent public health challenges, taking nearly 210 lives every day. Overdose deaths fell by nearly 27 percent in 2024; provisional 2025 data suggest the continued decline is slowing and some states are trending upward. As the drug supply changes, stimulant-involved deaths are rising, and some jurisdictions are detecting ultra-potent opioids (e.g., carfentanil) and non-opioid sedative adulterants (e.g., xylazine and medetomidine). Coordination between public health and public safety is critical to ensure that we understand evolving overdose threats and leverage all available resources to effectively save lives.  ORS unites public health and public safety to prevent overdose. The Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) is the only national program designed specifically to strengthen overdose prevention through this coordinated approach. Established over a decade ago through a formal partnership between the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and operationalized through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program and the CDC Foundation, the ORS builds partnerships and leverages data and tools to enable a coordinated approach to overdose prevention and response. ORS supports 61 two-person teams, a Drug Intelligence Officer (DIO) and a Public Health Analyst (PHA), embedded across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These teams are the operational core of the ORS. DIOs leverage law enforcement networks and intelligence to identify emerging threats and support supply reduction strategies, while PHAs analyze and translate overdose and drug related data, tailor evidence-based practices to local context, and evaluate promising interventions. Overdose is local. Many solutions are as well. The flexible ORS program model allows states and localities to select specific interventions based on local needs, resources, and partnerships. The program’s four overarching strategies guide local implementation:   The ORS brings depth and breadth of expertise to local communities. Through the application of these strategies and the advantages of a robust network, the ORS provides communities with access to the Nation’s top public health and public safety experts working to prevent fatal and non-fatal overdoses. For example, PHAs leverage CDC’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program and partners. DIOs leverage HIDTA task forces, drug seizure trends, and Investigative Support Center (I