ORS Cornerstone Projects

Each year, the ORS conducts an initiative-wide Cornerstone Project. These projects mobilize the entire ORS to answer common questions or address shared informational needs that affect the ORS region as a whole. These projects focus on a different priority topic each year and build upon evidence-based practices to reduce overdose. ORS Cornerstone Projects so far have examined: the presence and status of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in ORS jurisdictions states (2016); law enforcement knowledge, understanding and perceptions of 911 Good Samaritan laws (2017); promising strategies for implementing linkages to care at the nexus of public health and public safety (2018); and overdose prevention in jails (2019). In 2021, the Cornerstone Project focused on public safety, public health, and harm reduction resources on stimulants.

ORS Pilot Projects

To build this evidence base for promising practices in opioid overdose prevention, CDC and the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) are working with several ORS jurisdictions states to develop and implement local projects designed to reduce overdoses. CDC provides technical support to these high need areas and works with HIDTA Directors and ORS Teams to ensure that the pilot projects are smoothly implemented and that their progress and impact are monitored effectively.

More information about individual pilot projects and deliverables developed by two pilot sites are below. The deliverables include a toolkit and curriculum for developing a jail-based overdose prevention education and naloxone distribution (OEND) program by the North Carolina harm Reduction Coalition, and an implementation guide for harm reduction re-entry wrap around services programs from the Catholic Charities Care Coordination Services in Albany, New York.