ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration Launches the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose
Washington, D.C. – This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose. The Challenge is a nationwide call-to-action to stakeholders across all sectors to save lives by committing to increase training on and access to lifesaving opioid overdose reversal medications.
An overdose can happen anywhere, to anyone. That’s why President Biden has worked to strengthen not only the whole-of-government response, but also the whole-of-society response to this public health and public safety crisis. Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to address the overdose crisis, including investing over $100 billion to disrupt the flow of illicit drugs and expand access to treatment. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved naloxone—a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication—for non-prescription, over-the-counter use for the first time ever.
We’re calling on organizations and businesses—big and small, public and private—across the country to help ensure all communities are ready to use this life-saving tool to reduce opioid deaths. As the drug supply has gotten more dangerous and lethal, we’re asking allies to join us because we all must do our part to keep communities safe.
To help more Americans save lives, the Biden-Harris Administration is encouraging leaders to commit to take simple measures that work, including training employees on opioid overdose reversal medications, keeping the medications in first aid kits, and distributing the medications to employees and customers so they might save a life at home, work, or in their communities.
See coverage below:
[Jen Christensen, 3/13/24]
The Biden administration launched an initiative Wednesday that it describes as a nationwide call to increase training on and access to life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications, dubbed the Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose.
ABC News: White House launches new effort to prevent opioid overdoses
[Justin Gomez, 3/13/24]
The White House has launched a nationwide call-to-action to save lives from opioid overdoses. In its Wednesday announcement, the Biden-Harris Administration said it hopes the new effort will help get Naloxone, a drug meant to reverse opioid overdose, into as many communities as possible, increase training and broaden access to the drug.
Kaiser Health News: White House Launches Push For Access, Training On Overdose Reversal Meds
[3/13/24]
The Biden administration says that part of its efforts to stem the national overdose crisis will include “flooding the zone” with naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. Other federal news reports on the 340B drug discount program and the Change Healthcare hack.
HealthDay: Biden Administration Calls for Greater Access to Overdose Antidote
[Robin Foster, 3/13/24]
The White House on Wednesday launched a nationwide call for more training and better access to the lifesaving opioid overdose drug naloxone. Called the Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose, the initiative urges organizations and businesses to commit to train employees on how to use opioid overdose medications, to keep naloxone in emergency kits and to distribute the drug to employees and customers so they might save a life at home, work or in their communities.
[Mike Johnson, 3/13/24]
In a major push to combat the nation’s drug crisis, the Biden-Harris administration has launched the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose, calling on organizations across America to step up and commit to saving lives by making opioid overdose reversal medications more accessible. According to an announcement made by the White House, this initiative is a part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda which aims to defeat the overdose epidemic engulfing communities across the country.
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