FW: December 2020 Drug Overdose Updates

This item from the CDC has lots of interesting stuff, including links to maps at the county and state level of retail opioid dispensing (AL is #1; HI is the lowest; VT is the 7^th lowest).

 

From: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <no-reply@emailupdates.cdc.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2020 10:01 AM
To: Benjamin Littenberg <Benjamin.Littenberg@uvm.edu>
Subject: December 2020 Drug Overdose Updates

 

December 2020 Drug Overdose Updates

December Updates

 

CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory: Increase in Fatal Drug Overdoses Across the United States Driven by Synthetic Opioids Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic A new CDC Health Alert Network Advisory shows approximately 81,230 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12-month period ending in May 2020—the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period.

The largest increases were estimated in March, April, and May of 2020, revealing a concerning acceleration of overdose deaths during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Increases are primarily driven by synthetic opioids like illicitly manufactured fentanyl, but overdose deaths involving psychostimulants, including methamphetamines, have also increased and now exceed the number of cocaine-involved deaths. The health advisory highlights recommendations for medical and public health professionals, first responders, harm reduction organizations, and other community partners, which can be applied based on community needs and characteristics:    • Expand distribution and use of naloxone and overdose prevention education. • Expand awareness about and access to and availability of treatment for substance use disorders. • Intervene early with individuals at highest risk for overdose. • Improve detection of overdose outbreaks to facilitate more effective response.

 

Recent Publications

Know the Signs and Get Help for Opioid Addiction: A Pathway to Treatment Opioid addiction is a medical condition that millions of Americans suffer from, but treatment can help, and recovery is possible. Learn about the signs of opioid addiction and if you know or suspect someone is struggling, ask if you can help. Treatment for addiction and can help those struggling to get their lives back on track. While no single treatment method is right for everyone, help is available.

 

Talk with a doctor to find out what types of treatments are available in your area and what options are best for you and/or your loved one. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease; be sure to ask your doctor about the risk of relapse and overdose.    Read the Full Feature: Know the Signs and Get Help for Opioid Addiction: A Pathway to Treatment

Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder during Pregnancy Management and treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy is associated with improved maternal and infant outcomes. CDC established the MATernaL and Infant NetworK to Understand Outcomes Associated with Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder during Pregnancy (MAT-LINK) to monitor more than 2,000 mothers and their infants, using data collected from geographically diverse clinical sites.

 

This project will lead to better understanding of maternal, infant, and child health outcomes associated with management and treatment of OUD during pregnancy.    Learn more in this report: The MATernaL and Infant NetworK to Understand Outcomes Associated with Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy (MAT-LINK): Surveillance Opportunity

Announcements

 

Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Program: Awards $25 million for 201 New and Continuing Grants to Prevent Youth Substance Use In December, the Drug-Free Communities Program awarded 201 new and continuing grants, totaling approximately $25 million, to community coalitions throughout the U.S. Coalitions utilize the seven strategies for community change to implement locally-relevant youth substance use prevention activities in their communities. These activities include providing information, enhancing skills, enhancing access, providing support, educating and informing, changing consequences, and changing physical design. Yearly evaluations show that the Drug-Free Communities Program is working. In 2019, DFC coalitions reported that substance use and misuse declined for youth living in DFC-funded communities.   The Drug-Free Communities Program is administered by the Office of National Drug Control and Policy and the day-to-day management is performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information about the Drug-Free Communities Program, visit the website.   "The partnership between ONDCP and CDC demonstrates how powerful it can be when we all come together to prevent youth substance use," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. "CDC is proud to empower and support coalitions as they implement local solutions to prevent youth substance use in their communities."

New Rx Awareness Campaign Resources CDC's Rx Awareness campaign helps raise awareness about the dangers and risk of prescription opioid misuse and overdose; we are excited to announce the addition of the following new resource materials related to the latest series of ads.

 

The following resources have been added or updated:  Ads Signs, Billboards and Posters Factsheets and Infographics Postcards Matte Articles and Blogs Spanish Language Materials Thank you for your continued efforts to fight this public health crisis and please share these new resource materials. Learn more about available campaign resources See real stories from people who have been impacted by prescription opioids Learn about treatment and recovery resources

U.S. Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps The data in the maps show the geographic distribution in the United States, at both state and county levels, of retail opioid prescriptions dispensed per 100 persons per year from 2006–2019. Data are displayed within two types of interactive maps that show the estimated rate of opioid prescriptions per 100 U.S. residents.

 

Key Highlights: After a steady increase in the overall national opioid dispensing rate starting in 2006, the total number of prescriptions dispensed peaked in 2012 at more than 255 million and a dispensing rate of 81.3 prescriptions per 100 persons. The overall national opioid dispensing rate declined from 2012 to 2019, and in 2019, the dispensing rate had fallen to the lowest in the 14 years, for which we have data at 46.7 prescriptions per 100 persons (total of more than 153 million opioid prescriptions). However, in 2019, dispensing rates continued to remain very high in certain areas across the country. Dispensing rates for opioids vary widely across different states and counties. Emerging hotspot areas are identified by the darker colors on the maps. See the updates to the U.S. Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps:  https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/maps/rxrate-maps.html

Related Resources CDC Drug Overdose Homepage Guideline Resources for Healthcare Providers Training for Providers Opioid Overdose Data Overview Information for Patients Videos on Prescription Opioids Feature: Opioid Overdose Prevention Saves Lives Feature: Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Opioid Overdose: What's Working in the United States COVID-19 Questions and Answers: For People Who Use Drugs or Have Substance Use Disorder

 

Visit us at: www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose

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