According to the CDC, the rate of fatal overdoses declined in 2022 from an all-time high in 2021, but remains stubbornly above pre–COVID-19 pandemic levels. The main focus of an online conference hosted by the Reagan-Udall Foundation (RUF) in March 2023 was continuing to bring down this rate. As interventions to reduce death become more widespread, timely administration of overdose treatment is imperative to avoid serious long-term damage to opioid users from nonfatal overdoses.
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