Statement from Libby Jones, Associate Vice President, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Overdose Prevention Initiative in response to “White House Great American Recovery Initiative”

“The Administration’s launch of the Great American Recovery Initiative arrives as CDC data show U.S. life expectancy rose to 79.0 years in 2024, linked in part to fewer overdose deaths. That progress proves something simple. When leaders fund and implement evidence-based strategies at scale, more people live. 

The most important test will be whether it strengthens the systems that are already working.  

Recent declines in overdose deaths demonstrate that targeted prevention and treatment strategies can deliver results when they are implemented consistently and at scale. These gains were not accidental. They reflect deliberate investments in evidence-based care and recovery supports. Sustaining and building on this progress will require protecting uninterrupted care and ensuring that people can access treatment when they are ready. 

Rather than creating a new coordinating effort that never reaches the street, I encourage the Administration and Congress to fully fund and appropriately staff the agencies and programs that helped reduce overdose deaths. This announcement should translate into funded programs, staffed agencies and clear outcomes. 

A coordinated federal approach can help communities move faster and save more lives, but only if it expands access to evidence-based care and protects continuity of care. People cannot recover if they cannot get timely treatment and support, and they cannot stay in recovery if coverage and services drop at the moments of highest risk, especially after a nonfatal overdose or following release from jail or prison. 

We urge federal agencies to use this initiative to scale what works: medications for opioid use disorder, naloxone access and recovery support services that keep people connected to care. Research shows buprenorphine and methadone reduce overdose death risk, yet too many people still cannot access them when they are ready.  

We stand ready to support implementation that delivers measurable results, fewer overdoses, faster treatment initiation and stronger follow through into care in every community.”