Washington, DC, December 16, 2022 — According to a new peer-reviewed article by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), local health departments (LHDs) were increasingly providing some level of substance use prevention services until the pandemic hit. However, NACCHO researchers found that 65% of LHDs had to reduce their level of those important services to communities during the pandemic. These service disruptions were occurring at a time when fatal and nonfatal overdoses were increasing—often as much as 10%—in LHDs’ jurisdictions. NACCHO is the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments.
Fortunately, the proportion of LHDs providing some level of services remained steady from prior to COVID-19. Only a few LHDs reported ending their services entirely, suggesting substance use prevention and reduction is considered a core service or function by LHDs. Underlying drivers of these substance use service disruptions include limited workforce capacity, shifts in staff priorities and roles, and unplanned modifications to service delivery. Services that require in-person contact (e.g., medication takeback events, academic detailing, community outreach, HIV/STI testing) were particularly impacted by lockdown and social distancing regulations. LHDs discontinued or reduced their level of provision of these services during the pandemic at the highest rates.
“We must work together to decrease the risk of service disruptions during future public health crises, including putting in place direct and flexible funding for LHDs,” said NACCHO Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman.
Read the full article, “Disruptions to U.S. local public health’s role in population-based substance use prevention and response during COVID-19,” here.
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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.
