[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":526,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing more than $900 million to help state, territorial, county and city health departments get better drug overdose data. Under a new three-year cooperative agreement announced on Wednesday, the CDC is funding surveillance activities around the country to monitor and gather data about the scope and nature of the drug overdose problem. CDC\u2019s Overdose Data to Action initiative will support the work of 47 states and the District of Columbia, two territories, as well as 16 counties and cities nationwide. Initially, the CDC is releasing $301 million for the first year of the effort with the rest of the funding to follow in subsequent years.\u201cStrengthening our nation\u2019s public health infrastructure is essential to capturing the predictive data needed to prevent drug overdose deaths and their devastating effects on families,\u201d said CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, in a written statement. \u201cWe are committed to supporting our partners and communities, ensuring they have the tools needed to bring the opioid and drug use disorder epidemic to an end in America.\u201d

The goal of the effort is to acquire \u201chigh-quality, more comprehensive and timelier data on overdose morbidity and mortality,\u201d according to the CDC.\u201cOver the past decade, reporting of mortality data has improved substantially, mainly due to improvements in reporting by state vital records offices,\u201d states the agency\u2019s announcement. \u201cCDC has worked diligently to provide financial and technical assistance to help improve the quality, timeliness and specificity of surveillance data in states and communities across the nation, and these funds will continue to support this critical work. States may report nonfatal data as quickly as every two weeks and report fatal data every six months.\u201d Specifically, the states and jurisdictions receiving funding through the Overdose Data to Action initiative will collect and disseminate emergency department data on suspected overdoses categorized as \u201call drug,\u201d \u201call opioid,\u201d \u201cheroin\u201d and \u201call stimulant\u201d\u2014as well as collect and disseminate descriptions of drug overdose death circumstances using death certificates, toxicology reports, medical examiner and coroner reports.In addition, the CDC contends that the \u201cprevention component of this cooperative agreement will position recipients to strengthen prescription drug monitoring programs, improve state-local integration, establish linkages to care, and improve provider and health system support.\u201d","saveContent":"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing more than $900 million to help state, territorial, county and city health departments get better drug overdose data. Under a new three-year cooperative agreement announced on Wednesday, the CDC is funding surveillance activities around the country to monitor and gather data about the scope and nature of the drug overdose problem. CDC\u2019s Overdose Data to Action initiative will support the work of 47 states and the District of Columbia, two territories, as well as 16 counties and cities nationwide. Initially, the CDC is releasing $301 million for the first year of the effort with the rest of the funding to follow in subsequent years.\u201cStrengthening our nation\u2019s public health infrastructure is essential to capturing the predictive data needed to prevent drug overdose deaths and their devastating effects on families,\u201d said CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, in a written statement. \u201cWe are committed to supporting our partners and communities, ensuring they have the tools needed to bring the opioid and drug use disorder epidemic to an end in America.\u201d

CDC launches $900M effort to improve drug overdose data

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