Press Release: Following Release of CDC Overdose Data, White House, Health and Human Services, and Justice Officials Discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s Work to Address the Overdose Epidemic
November 17, 2021
Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, hosted a press call with Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and other Biden-Harris Administration officials to discuss new and ongoing actions to address the overdose epidemic as well as the urgent need for Congress to fund President Biden’s FY 2022 budget to build on those actions. The call followed the release of CDC’s provisional drug overdose death data, which show a record number of 100,306 predicted overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in April 2021.
Dr. Gupta also announced the release of a model law for states to help expand access to naloxone, which saves lives by reversing opioid overdoses. “This is a tragic, all hands on deck moment. Harm reduction policies that make life-saving tools, like naloxone and fentanyl test strips, readily available are just the beginning. We must continue working on bold, new solutions aimed at keeping Americans alive,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D.