Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention

Last Friday, CDC released RFA-CE15-1501, Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention for States. This major new funding opportunity will provide state health departments with resources and support to advance comprehensive state-level interventions for preventing prescription drug overuse, misuse, abuse, and overdose.



CDC’s Injury Center intends to commit up to $55,600,000 total funding over the entire 4-year project period with a maximum of $1,000,000 per award per year. This funding will support approximately 16 states to implement prevention strategies to improve safe prescribing practices and turn the tide on the prescription drug overdose epidemic.

With this funding, states can pursue four priority strategies—two required and two optional.

Required strategies:

1. Enhance and maximize a state PDMP and
2. Implement community or insurer/health system interventions aimed at preventing prescription drug overdose and abuse

Optional strategies:

1. Conduct policy evaluations and/or
2. Develop and implement Rapid Response Projects.

A key to the success of this FOA is multi-sector collaboration with partners that have shared authority over this issue. Applicants are therefore required to submit letters of support from state-level governmental entities and other partners depending on the strategies they pursue. Awardees will also be expected to evaluate program activities using timely data from a variety of sources.

This funding announcement also presents opportunities to advance surveillance and evaluation efforts to understand and respond to the increase in heroin overdose deaths, especially at the intersection of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use. Funded states will track heroin morbidity and mortality as an outcome of their work and have opportunities to evaluate policies with implications for preventing both prescription drug and heroin overdoses (e.g., naloxone access policies).

Important Dates

• Applications due: May 8, 2015
• Informational call: March 11, 2015

Learn More

• The funding opportunity announcement can be found at http://www.grants.gov. Note that amendments to the announcement focus and application dates are possible. Please check for updates on www.grants.gov.

Learn more about CDC’s work to prevent prescription drug overdose deaths.