Government health agencies on Dec. 8 debuted an online dashboard created to track the number of nonfatal opioid overdoses nationwide.
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy partnered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to launch the dashboard, according to a news release from the Biden administration. The data will be used to be substance abuse treatment providers, to predict and prevent fatal overdoses and help first responders provide lifesaving care.
"State EMS officials and clinicians provide nearly 49 million records a year to the National EMS Information System," Ann Carlson, acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in the release. "This is a treasure trove of data that can help us identify areas most at risk of overdoses and direct resources and support accordingly to respond before it is too late."
The data will be updated every Monday with a two-week lag, according to the release.