CDC Foundation – Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) Linkage to Care Capacity Building

CDC Foundation – Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) Linkage to Care Capacity Building is sponsored by CDC Foundation (supported by CDC/HHS). CDC Foundation Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) Linkage to Care Capacity Building is a grant from the CDC Foundation that funds community organizations building capacity to connect people who have experienced a nonfatal drug overdose to treatment, recovery, and harm reduction serv…

Strengthening Communities through the Overdose Data to Action Capacity Building Initiative (OD2A) | CDC Foundation | CDC Foundation Strengthening Communities through the Overdose Data to Action Capacity Building Initiative (OD2A) | CDC Foundation Partnering for Overdose Prevention The Overdose Data to Action Capacity Building Initiative (OD2A Capacity Building Initiative) project operates within a comprehensive data-to-action framework, utilizing various data sources to enhance drug overdose prevention efforts.

These data include monitoring, process and outcome evaluations, and qualitative insights such as interviews and focus groups, all of which inform and enrich monitoring practices. This approach enables funded jurisdictions to respond swiftly to community needs, using data-driven strategies to reduce overdose deaths and mitigate substance use-related harms.

Sustaining strong key partnerships within this framework is vital to the program’s success. To bolster the capacity of state, local and territorial health departments, as well as community-based organizations (CBOs), the CDC Foundation supports the OD2A Capacity Building Initiative by recruiting and hiring critical personnel.

These include State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) abstractors, epidemiologists, peer navigators, program implementation specialists, data visualization specialists, next of kin social workers and other highly trained overdose prevention and response professionals.

The OD2A Capacity Building Initiative has: Deployed over 200 field staff across 66 jurisdictions Managed recruitment, training and onboarding Provided specialty training to enhance jurisdictional capacity in: Linkage to care and resources Inclusive-driven overdose response Recovery support certification This multifaceted support ensures that OD2A Capacity Building Initiative teams are well-equipped to tackle the evolving overdose epidemic.

A recent update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that provisional data indicates a 27 percent decrease in predicted drug overdose deaths in 2024 compared to 2023 on average. CDC also cited the Overdose to Data (OD2A) program as an example of one of the programs helping to contribute to the overall decline.

The Kentucky River Hub operates as a Recovery Community Center (RCC), delivering a wraparound model of care for individuals impacted by substance use disorder (SUD).

Its services reflect a public health approach that combines community-based overdose prevention support with recovery-oriented support, basic needs fulfillment and peer empowerment was established to address critical service gaps in overdose prevention and recovery support across the Kentucky River District.

With a focus on improving access to care and reducing overdose deaths, the project aligns with several OD2A strategies, including linkage to treatment, recovery and/or other overdose prevention services.

The HUB employs three CDC Foundation Peer Navigators—individuals with lived experience in recovery—who serve as trusted guides, connecting community members to treatment services, community-based overdose prevention resources and essential support like transportation, ID recovery, housing and food. These navigators play a vital role in building rapport, reducing stigma and helping individuals navigate complex systems of care.

Activities led by Peer Navigators include: Conducting community-based outreach and overdose prevention education; Offering one-on-one navigation support for treatment and social services; and Participating in multidisciplinary collaborations to identify and address local overdose risks.

By embedding Peer Navigators within the HUB, the project ensures culturally responsive, trauma-informed and person-centered service delivery in a high-need rural setting. Empowering Communities Through Peer Support Amanda Stone Smith’s journey into peer support has been both professional and deeply personal.

Before joining the CDC Foundation, she served as a behavioral health technician supervisor and a certified peer support specialist. Today, Amanda serves as a peer navigator placed within the Mississippi State Department of Health through the OD2A Capacity Building Initiative program, where she focuses on overdose prevention, outreach, community networking and collaborating with others in the recovery community.

“I love that our team is unique because each of us brings our own strengths to the table, and together we are able to walk beside people and communities as a true resource,” Smith said. “I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Liberty University, and I am also the proud mom of a 15-year-old son who is the coolest kid. I enjoy creating meaningful connections, leaning on my faith and finding moments of joy in everyday life.

Data-Driven Insights in Florida Jonetta Morris serves a critical role in supporting overdose prevention efforts through data-driven insights. In her position, she provides essential data to both CDC and local counties to inform strategies that address the overdose epidemic.

As part of Strategy 3: Mortality Surveillance (SUDORS), which focuses on fatal overdose surveillance, Jonetta collects and analyzes data from Florida medical examiners to better understand the circumstances surrounding overdose deaths and identify key opportunities for intervention.

Her work is part of the CDC Foundation’s Expanding Capacity and Partnerships to Address the Drug Overdose Epidemic initiative within CDC’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program. In 2025, the CDC Foundation supported more than 200 field staff across 66 jurisdictions, working alongside health departments nationwide to strengthen overdose prevention efforts through data.

These staff play a vital role in advancing public health responses, equipping clinicians with actionable data to improve prescribing practices, and fostering cross-sector collaboration to expand access to treatment and long-term recovery. Through these efforts, communities are better positioned to tailor prevention strategies to their unique needs, recognizing that access to care and the impact of the overdose epidemic vary widely.

CDC has highlighted the OD2A program as a key contributor to the overall decline in overdose deaths observed in 2024, underscoring the importance of this work and its impact. Highlights from the Field Dr. Kiko King currently serves as a public health educator for the OD2A Capacity Building Initiative project with the Minnesota Department of Health.

With a PhD in Health Education, Promotion and Human Services, Dr. King’s career has been rooted in advancing public health through education, clinical research and community-based interventions. Dr. King’s focus has always been on reducing stigma and societal bias, addressing health disparities, disease prevention and removing barriers that prevent individuals from living healthier lives.

A major part of Dr. King’s work involves providing training and technical assistance to local partners as they establish and operationalize Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) teams. These teams play a vital role in understanding the circumstances surrounding overdose deaths and using that knowledge to inform prevention efforts.

Since launching the OD2A project, Minnesota has maintained a single OFR team; however, through technical assistance, strategic guidance and strong cross-sector partnerships, the state is poised to expand to six additional OFR teams in early 2026.

Among her accomplishments, Dr. King leads the development of Minnesota’s first Linkage to Care Navigator Toolkit, a comprehensive resource to support community-based and Emergency Department (ED) navigators in their work. Navigators are critical to overdose prevention, and this toolkit is designed to equip them with practical tools and provide guidance and best practices that can be applied across settings.

Dr. King is also organizing Minnesota’s first Navigator Convening, which will bring together navigators from across the state to participate in training, share insights and build a peer support network. “I’m honored to be part of a movement that’s building bridges to care and that creates hope across Minnesota,” Dr. King said.

This OD2A Capacity Building Initiative program is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $17,000,000, with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. A portion of this funding supported the project described above.

The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, the U.S. Government, or the CDC Foundation. Program Description: To advance workforce development, enhance training delivery, ensure performance accountability and measure the effectiveness of overdose prevention and monitoring efforts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Unintentional Injury Prevention