By Jamelia R. Hand MHS CADC CODP I On August 31, 2026, CDC launched the new Overdose Prevention Data Channel, bringing fatal and nonfatal overdose data, prevention strategies, and federal resources into one centralized platform. The channel combines information from three major CDC surveillance systems: NVSS, SUDORS, and DOSE. The timing matters. CDC’s latest provisional estimate predicts 67,798 overdose deaths for the 12 months ending March 2026, a 12.3% decline from the prior-year period....

By Jamelia R. Hand MHS CASC CODP I Nick ran the outpatient pharmacy at Jackson Park Hospital in a way that never felt transactional. Patients would walk up to the counter with a prescription, but what they were really bringing with them was a story. Some were doing well and just needed a refill. Others were barely holding it together and trying to make it through another day without using. Nick knew the difference without needing a chart in front of him. He paid attention to patterns, to...

By Jamelia Hand MHS CADC CODP I Dr. Lipi Roy MD, MPH, FASAM We were both in tears… That’s what happened when Dr. Lipi Roy described the moment she told me about Janet. And honestly, I understood immediately why. Janet wasn’t who people expect when they hear a story about addiction. By the time Dr. Roy met her, she was in recovery from opioid use disorder/heroin. She had been a nurse and had lost her license during her addiction. She was also doing the work to rebuild her life. She had...