In March 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with the National Governors Association (NGA) to conduct a Learning Lab about the intersection of the opioid epidemic and infectious diseases. This collaboration led to the development of two white papers that highlight key considerations for governors, including: strong cross-agency partnerships, the need to support local communities with funding, data and technical assistance, and requiring the engagement of a broad group of stakeholders on addressing the infectious disease consequences of the opioid crisis. These papers, which you can read more about below, were officially released and are now available on the NGA website.
The publications provide insights from this work that can inform other governors’ efforts to prevent infectious disease outbreaks among people who inject opioids and other illicit drugs and have been informed by work with cross-disciplinary teams from seven states – Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Michigan, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
- Addressing the Rise of Infectious Disease Related to Injection Drug Use: Lessons Learned from Kentucky provides considerations for expanding comprehensive harm reduction, with a focus on the cross-sector partnerships that have been central to Kentucky’s efforts.
- State Approaches to Addressing the Infectious Disease Consequences of the Opioid Epidemic: Insights from an NGA Learning Lab highlights examples from the seven learning lab states and offers considerations for governors seeking to expand public health surveillance and comprehensive harm reduction.
