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How Chicago succeeded in reducing drug overdose deaths

17 Oct 2025 9:11 AM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

The city has adopted a ‘multifactorial approach to a multifactorial problem’ and has seen a 37% reduction in deaths since the national peak of the crisis {KFF Health News & The Guardian]

 Overdose in America: analysis reveals deaths rising in some regions even as US sees national decline

Among US counties containing the nation’s 10 largest cities, Cook county, Illinois – where Chicago  is located – has seen the largest reduction in overdose deaths since the national peak of the crisis in 2023, by 37%, according to an exclusive Guardian analysis.

Chicago has one of the most robust drug supply surveillance and overdose prevention response systems in the nation. Jenny Hua, medical director for the Chicago department of public health, hesitated to take full credit for the progress, explaining that many factors influencing overdose deaths are beyond any one health department’s control. It’s also easier to have a coordinated response in a big city, where people and resources are concentrated. Changes to the drug supply are also affecting regions differently.

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