HWN Suggests

Five Areas Where “More Research” Isn’t Needed to Curb the Overdose Crisis

In the science-to-medicine pipeline, there is a point when a body of evidence is so well-established that to not put the science into action would be an abdication of responsibility. When it comes to the current crisis, there are at least five things that science has shown conclusively to be effective, where communities and healthcare providers can apply what we already know works.

We don’t need to keep asking if these things work. Instead, we must find ways to help providers, people, and communities overcome the barriers to implementing these valuable interventions.

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Articles of Interest

Controversial harm reduction strategies appear to slow drug deaths

A growing number of Canadian doctors, for example, are actually prescribing powerful opioids and stimulants that people can use to shoot up to get high. This is an approach called safer supply that aims to keep people from using street drugs that are now laced with powerful and often deadly chemicals. The doctors writing these prescriptions say their patients are experiencing fewer overdoses.

Overdose prevention sites can save lives and promote recovery. We must be willing to try them

Overdose prevention sites are located primarily in high drug-use areas and serve marginalized and hard-to-reach populations who face barriers to good health or safe living, including people who engage in sex work, people who are experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, and people with a history of incarceration.

Start the conversation about overdose prevention

Having a conversation about substance use and overdose prevention with someone you care about may not be easy. It may be tough to find the right words to say. It may take many talks. Sometimes it may not go the way you want. But having the conversation together can lead to effective overdose prevention and it can save lives.

​​Overdose Prevention Initiative (OPI)

The opioid epidemic is dynamic, complex, and rapidly changing. Data indicates that California has reduced unsafe prescribing; however, even with this decrease, prescription opioids are still the leading cause of opioid overdose deaths.

‘It’s saved many lives’: first US overdose prevention centers give safe spaces to people in crisis

Since the opening of the centers for those who struggle with substance abuse, at least 85 overdoses have been reversed without medical attention.

Resources

National Harm Reduction Coalition

National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies.

National Overdose Prevention Network

Helping you to save lives with partnerships, strategies, and resources for overdose prevention.

Overdose Lifeline

A nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use disorder. We work to prevent overdoses through education, preventative treatment, and by offering emergency services.

VitalStrategies.org

We strive to promote innovation, improve quality, build scale, and ensure sustainability, grounded in data and evidence, and focused on racial equity. Our approach is multidisciplinary, inclusive, and responsive to local conditions. As momentum grows for a health-based response to drug use, overdose has risen sharply in Black and Latinx communities. Progress must address the collateral consequences of drug use criminalization in communities of color.

CDC

Drug overdose deaths can be prevented. See how CDC is working to prevent overdoses and substance use-related harms with the following strategies.

HHS

We can prevent overdoses and save lives by ensuring equitable access to essential health care and support services without stigma.

SAMHSA

In the primary prevention space, SAMHSA/CSAP supports states and communities to develop comprehensive prevention programs to educate the public about the dangers of sharing medications, raises awareness among pharmaceutical and medical communities on the risks of overprescribing, and implements overdose death prevention strategies, such as naloxone distribution and the purchase of naloxone for first responders.

​​Overdose Prevention Initiative (OPI)

The opioid epidemic is dynamic, complex, and rapidly changing. Data indicates that California has reduced unsafe prescribing; however, even with this decrease, prescription opioids are still the leading cause of opioid overdose deaths.