Share & Connect. Collaborate. Inform & Promote. Help & Implement.

program overview

about the ors program

The mission of the ORS is to help communities reduce fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses by connecting public health and public safety agencies, sharing information and pertinent intelligence and supporting effective* strategies.

WHAT WE DO

our mission

The mission of the ORS is to help communities reduce fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses by connecting public health and public safety agencies, sharing information and pertinent intelligence and supporting effective* strategies.

ors brochure

WHAT WE DO

What is THE ORS?

The Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) is a nationally coordinated, cross-sector collaboration between the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, or HIDTA, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
ORS VIDEO HUB

ors program Strategies

Share & CONNECT

Cross-sector data to drive coordinated overdose response

Collaborate

Across sectors to improve overdose prevention and response

Inform & Promote

Overdose awareness to equip communities and partners

Help & Implement

Solutions to strengthen overdose prevention efforts

ORS PROGRAM Activities​

The ORS provides a menu of program activities that enables ORS teams and jurisdictions across the United States to select and implement initiatives that best support their local communities. Click each strategy below to review the activities within our four overarching strategies.

  • Maintain or improve the functionality (e.g., access, timeliness, accuracy or content) of existing data systems or create new data systems to meet an identified need.
  • Develop, design or disseminate data briefs, reports, presentations, visualizations or bulletins on drug trends and emerging threats.
  • Disseminate intelligence on interdiction and drug trafficking patterns/trends.
  • Facilitate cross-sector partnerships for the purposes of leveraging or optimizing resources.
  • Support the development or implementation of multi-sector teams, taskforces or workgroups.
  • Develop, test and refine multi-sector rapid response or spike response plans.
  • Support the dissemination of communication campaigns and informational materials.
  • Develop or deliver trainings to partners or community members.
  • Host or participate in community events that support overdose prevention, treatment or recovery awareness.
  • Support partners in developing protocols and strategies for implementing effective interventions (e.g., naloxone distribution, Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)).
  • Assist partners in implementing programs for intended audiences and communities at increased risk of overdose.
  • Provide technical assistance to support monitoring program impact and the implementation of effective* strategies management

* The term “effective” includes interventions and approaches for which there is evidence that they are associated with reduced fatal or non-fatal overdose; the evidence may be derived through available peer-reviewed research, demonstration projects or other program evaluation efforts. The term “effective” encompasses both “evidence-based” and “promising” practices in the context of overdose prevention.

...Approaching the drug overdose crisis in siloes is not an option, and there is tremendous value in public health and public safety working together...

“Effectively responding to the increasingly complex drug overdose crisis requires intentional multi-sector collaboration and systems thinking. Approaching the drug overdose crisis in siloes is not an option, and there is tremendous value in public health and public safety working together to reduce fatal and non-fatal overdoses. The CDC Foundation is committed to working collaboratively and is proud to partner with the Overdose Response Strategy program.”

Dr. Judy Monroe, President and CEO, CDC Foundation

learn more about the ors program

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