The Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) is an unprecedented and unique public health-public safety partnership between the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through their support of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program and the CDC Foundation. At its core, the ORS is an example of a cross-agency, interdisciplinary collaboration with a single mission of reducing overdose deaths and saving lives across the United States.
WHO WE ARE
The ORS, a partnership between CDC and ONDCP, with support from HIDTA and the CDC Foundation, has grown tremendously since its inception. The program began in 2015 with only five originating HIDTAs, covering 15 states. Today, the program includes all 33 HIDTAs, covering 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The power — and the limitless possibilities — when public health and public safety agencies, each with their own perspectives and experiences, work together to achieve a shared North Star.
“The Overdose Response Strategy is a great experiment in the power of partnerships. The power — and the limitless possibilities — when public health and public safety agencies, each with their own perspectives and experiences, work together to achieve a shared North Star. The ORS began just a few years ago with a blank sheet of paper — and is now a cornerstone of the national strategy to reduce drug overdoses and save lives. The ORS partnership is strong — and continues to get stronger!”
Chauncey Parker, Director, New York/New Jersey HIDTA
WHAT WE DO
Over Memorial Day weekend 2025, Connecticut public health and safety partners launched a rapid, coordinated response to a spike in overdoses in New Haven County. In late May to early
The U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA Prevention Initiative, in collaboration with PR-USVI HIDTA, the Virgin Islands Police Department, the Virgin Islands Department of Health, the Overdose Response Strategy, the Centers for
In Arizona and Montana, the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) is helping strengthen overdose prevention efforts in tribal communities through long-standing partnerships and community-led collaboration. Recent work by the Arizona and
In November 2024, the Illinois Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team, in partnership with the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), hosted the first-ever Illinois Prevention Summit. The event brought together 135 public safety, public health and prevention professionals from across the state.