Rx Summit 2022 Key Takeaways eBook - 6

How the CDC
Is Addressing the
Growing Drug
Epidemic
During the opening remarks on the third day of the 2022
Rx and Illicit Drug Summit, Debra Houry, MD, MPH, acting
principal deputy director, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), updated attendees on the CDC's latest
steps in addressing the drug overdose epidemic.
" In 2020 alone, nearly 92,000 Americans
died from a drug overdose, " Dr. Houry
told the audience. " More than two-thirds
involved an opioid. "
She explained that the US is seeing a
worsening trend, with a 15.7% increase
in drug overdose deaths from November
2020 to November 2021.
" When we look at the demographics, this
epidemic has no boundaries, " she said.
Dr. Houry stressed that not all overdoses
have to end in death. Based on her time
working as an emergency room doctor,
she said she knows this is true. To make it
happen, however, " everyone has a role
to play. "
She stressed the importance of learning
about the risks of opioids, learning about
naloxone, including its availability and
use, and, finally, learning how to help
people who are struggling with opioid use
disorder get treatment.
" This is CDC's priority, to equip those
treating patients with opioid use disorder
with the things they need. "
Dr. Houry also highlighted the negative
impact that adverse childhood
experiences (ACEs) have on patients. She
said ACEs, which are typically traumatic
events during childhood, are " associated
key takeaways from rx summit 2022
with many of the leading causes of death,
like heart disease and cancer. "
future prevention efforts
" Some strategies focus on prevention
through system-level changes, public
education, and implementation of policies
and programs based on the best available
evidence, " Dr. Houry said.
She explained that there needs to be
" a coordinated approach to address the
interrelated crises of exposure to ACEs,
overdose, and suicide. " This coordinated
approach will:
> Increase both understanding and
coordination across treatment and
prevention fields
> Engage a larger movement of
champions and change agents
in communities
> Ensure equity in policies, programs,
and services while reducing disparities
> Invest in research and evalutation to
better understand what works well, why
these approaches work; and for whom
they work
> Implement successful treatment and
prevenation strategies and adapt them
for specific cultural contexts
More specifically, Dr. Houry highlighted
five areas for intervention. They included:
> Early detection
> Early intervention
> Expanded access + provision
> Supported harm reduction
> Strengthened prevention
She highlighted the CDC's use of
overdose data to help improve treatment
and prevention.
Overdose initiatives across the country
include:
> Teen text lines
> Expansions to first responders
> Real-time date to help improve care
in some locations
Finally, the CDC is working on a plan to
reduce infectious disease among those
who use drugs. The agency's mission
is to " decrease morbidity, mortality,
and incidence of infectious diseases
associated with injection drug use, as
well as stigma experienced by people
who use drugs. "
Dr. Houry said the CDC's strategic
priorities are to strengthen the syringe
services program infrastructure
nationwide, along with establishing
coordinated surveillance, monitoring,
and program implementation.
" At CDC, we put health equity at the front
and center of our work, " Dr. Houry said.
" Health equity is when everyone has the
opportunity to be as healthy as possible. "
reference Houry D. The state of the drug overdose epidemic: Moving from crisis to hope.
Presented at: Rx and Illicit Drug Summit; April 18-21, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia.
rx-summit.com 6
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