News & Updates — Resources

In a newly published Health Affairs Forefront piece, staff from FORE spotlight a wide range of strategies state and local policymakers can adopt to improve outcomes and prevent overdose deaths among individuals affected by opioid use disorder (OUD).

Drawing on the real-world successes of FORE grantees, the commentary — featured in one of the nation’s leading journals of health policy research — demonstrates how state and local governments can expand access to treatment, bolster support for people in recovery, and enhance data systems to more effectively monitor and respond to the opioid and overdose crisis.

“The overdose crisis has brought much attention to the role of federal policy in shaping our response. While national policies are important and help set the stage, it’s at the state and local levels that real change take root,” says lead author and FORE program director, Dr. Ken Shatzkes.

Among other strategies highlighted, the commentary describes how states can enhance access to medications for opioid use disorder and engage individuals at high risk of overdose through key touchpoints, such as emergency departments, community health clinics, pharmacies, and criminal legal settings —including jails and prisons.

It also underscores the roles states and localities can take in supporting long-term recovery by expanding employment and career advancement opportunities. This includes fostering recovery-friendly workplaces and advancing more consistent standards for training, credentialling, and reimbursement of peer recovery coaches.

Additionally, the commentary illustrates how communities can use local data to gain a real-time understanding of changes in the drug supply and tailor responses to community-specific needs. FORE grantees have shown how researchers, community leaders, and public health agencies can partner to detect and disseminate critical information about shifts in the drug landscape.

The authors conclude with emphasizing that with concerted local action and aligned policies, communities can help ensure that the reductions in overdoses are not only achieved but sustained.