At a glance
The District of Columbia Health Department is one of 49 agencies funded by CDC's Overdose Data to Action in States cooperative agreement to respond to the drug overdose crisis. The District of Columbia (D.C.) is investing in its surveillance strategies to provide critical real-time data on drug overdose trends and emerging threats to inform action.
Overdose Data to Action: surveillance
Through Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) investments from CDC, D.C. has:
- Quickly identified the emergence of synthetic opioids like fluorofentanyl. Surveillance identified a spike in fluorofentanyl contamination in illegal drugs, which correlated with an increase in overdoses. With CDC support, D.C. rapidly issued public health alerts and coordinated with public and nonprofit agencies to make people in communities aware of this emerging substance and distribute naloxone to help reverse overdoses.
- Identified xylazine in approximately 20% of analyzed drug samples by mid-2024. This finding led to immediate data-to-action measures, including collaboration with District agencies to inform community-based organizations and healthcare providers about the risks of xylazine and how to prevent overdoses.
- Analyzed over 8,500 drug samples since 2020, leading to unprecedented insights into the evolving drug supply landscape. This has allowed D.C. to identify and respond to new psychoactive substances before they become widespread and directly inform strategies to prevent overdose. The District is also using biosurveillance to fill the data gap around circumstances leading to nonfatal overdoses, which can help us prevent overdoses before they happen. Surveillance provides real-time data to inform naloxone supply distribution.
- Launched the . This dashboard is the most comprehensive source for updates on fatal and non-fatal overdoses. It includes data on ambulance transports for overdoses, fatalities, naloxone distribution, and the results of drug testing. Data is aggregated at neighborhood and ward levels.
Biosurveillance
Biosurveillance—the analysis of clinical specimens, such as blood and urine for the purpose of public health surveillance—provides important exposure information not available in existing epidemiological, emergency medical services (EMS) and seized drug data.
Return on investment
These swift responses and approaches have been crucial in reducing the risks posed by a contaminated drug supply and shaping effective public health interventions that prevent overdoses. From January – December 2024, the District:
- Analyzed 2,999 drug samples.
- Distributed over 100,000 naloxone kits.
- Reported 1,063 successful opioid overdose reversals from community-based organizations and the Metropolitan Police Department. (This number does not include successful EMS overdose reversals).
CDC funding and partnerships have been crucial in sustaining our surveillance programs and enhancing our response to drug-related public health threats. The support we've received has not only helped us build capacity but also enabled us to be proactive and innovative in our approach to public health and safety.