Illinois Priority Topic Investments

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Illinois Overdose Investment Snapshot

Combatting the current overdose crisis is a priority for the agency. This page provides an overview of the FY22 CDC Injury Center (NCIPC) overdose investments for the state of Illinois.

There were 106,699 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2021 (32.4 deaths per 100,000 standard population), a 16% increase from 2020. Approximately 75% of drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved at least one opioid; 66% of deaths involved synthetic opioids (e.g., illicitly manufactured fentanyls). Drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids increased 25%, deaths involving psychostimulants (e.g., methamphetamine) increased 37%, and deaths involving cocaine increased 26% from 2020 to 2021. Although deaths increased overall and in all drug categories except heroin, the increases from 2020 to 2021 were generally lower than those from 2019 to 2020, suggesting a slowing of the increase in overdose deaths.

In 2021 in Illinois there were:

3,762

overdose deaths

29.0

overdose deaths per 100,000 people (age-adjusted)

Source: NVSS – Drug Overdose Deaths

Overdose Funding At A Glance
Overdose Funding At A Glance
Illinois

$6,032,413

FY22 Illinois Total Overdose Prevention Funding

FY22 Awards

Overdose Data to Action (OD2A)

  • Illinois State Award: $4,625,566
  • City of Chicago Local Award: $1,332,347

Public Health and Public Safety

  • Overdose Response Strategy: $74,500*

*average award amount

Examples of How Illinois Is Working to Prevent Overdose

overdose strategies
capacity building
Linkage to care during COVID-19 pandemic

During the Illinois stay-at-home order, funded community-based organizations used innovative strategies to continue connecting individuals to substance use disorder services. From March 2020 – March 2021, the agencies served over 6,000 individuals with overdose prevention education, linkage to harm reduction services and treatment, and overdose reversals.

trends
Innovative technology

Illinois is collaborating with the City of Chicago Public Health Department and the Chicago Recovery Alliance, a community-based organization, to implement innovative technologies to identify trends, quantify the composition of drug samples in the Chicago area, and better track the illicit opioid drug supply.

CDC Overdose Prevention Strategies

CDC’s Injury Center plays a critical role in addressing the drug overdose epidemic by driving progress in the five strategic priorities that guide CDC’s response framework for preventing overdoses.

  • infographic
    Strategic Priorities Overview
  • trends
    Monitor, Analyze, and Communicate Trends
  • capacity building
    Build State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Capacity
  • healthcare
    Support Providers, Health Systems, Payors, and Employers
  • public safety
    Partner with Public Safety and Community Organizations
  • awareness
    Raise Public Awareness and Reduce Stigma

Additional Resources

References

1 Spencer MR, Miniño AM, Warner M. Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 2001–2021. NCHS Data Brief, no 457. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2022. DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.15620/cdc:122556