CDC Resources for Treatment Center Operators

• Federal Agency
• CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The CDC tracks overdose data, publishes opioid prescribing guidelines, and provides surveillance systems used by behavioral health providers.

At a Glance

Type

Federal Agency

Acronym

CDC

Headquarters

Atlanta, GA

Official Website

Visit site ↗

Parent Org

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Founded

1946

Last Verified

Mar 15, 2026

Reading Time

7 min

Why This Matters

• Publishes opioid prescribing guidelines that shape facility medication protocols
• Operates SUDORS and other overdose surveillance systems that inform treatment data
• Tracks infectious disease patterns relevant to substance use populations
• Provides harm reduction guidance including naloxone and syringe services data
• Publishes clinical guidance on hepatitis C, HIV, and co-occurring conditions

Overview

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the nation’s leading public health protection agency, responsible for disease surveillance, health promotion, and the development of evidence-based guidance to prevent and control health threats. Established in 1946 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the CDC operates as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with an annual budget exceeding approximately approximately $9.7 billion in discretionary funding and a workforce of approximately 12,000 employees as of 2025.

For behavioral health treatment facility operators, the CDC’s relevance extends beyond its well-known infectious disease mission. The agency has become a central player in the national response to the overdose crisis through its surveillance systems, prescribing guidelines, and harm reduction programs. The CDC’s opioid prescribing guidelines have reshaped how pain medications are managed across healthcare settings, directly affecting the clinical environment in which your facility operates. The agency’s overdose surveillance data informs national and state policy decisions that determine treatment funding priorities and regulatory focus areas.

The CDC also provides critical guidance on infectious diseases that disproportionately affect populations with substance use disorders, including hepatitis C, HIV, and tuberculosis. For treatment centers, CDC guidance on screening, prevention, and treatment of these conditions informs clinical protocols and helps meet state licensing requirements that mandate infectious disease assessment and response.

Why CDC Matters for Behavioral Health Providers

The CDC’s opioid prescribing guidelines have generally had a profound effect on the treatment landscape for substance use disorders. The original 2016 guideline and its 2022 update established a framework for responsible opioid prescribing that has been adopted, and in many cases extended, by state medical boards, insurance companies, and healthcare systems. For treatment facility operators, these guidelines influence the clinical management of clients with co-occurring pain and addiction, the tapering protocols your prescribers follow, and the expectations payers set for opioid-related care.

The unintended consequences of prescribing guideline implementation have also shaped your client population. As opioid prescribing restrictions tightened, some individuals transitioned from prescription opioids to illicit substances, altering the acuity and clinical complexity of clients presenting for treatment. Understanding this epidemiologic shift — documented through CDC surveillance data — helps operators plan programming, staffing, and clinical protocols that match the current needs of their populations.

CDC overdose surveillance data is a practical resource for treatment facility operations beyond clinical programming. Grant applications for federal, state, and foundation funding almost universally require epidemiologic data to establish the need for services. CDC data sources including SUDORS, the Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) system, and the National Vital Statistics System provide the most authoritative, standardized data for documenting overdose trends and substance use patterns in your service area.

The CDC’s harm reduction initiatives — including naloxone distribution guidance and syringe services program recommendations — are increasingly intersecting with treatment facility operations. Many states now require or encourage treatment facilities to provide naloxone at discharge and to integrate harm reduction approaches into their service models. CDC guidance provides the evidence base and implementation frameworks for these services.

Key Programs and Services

Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids. The CDC’s opioid prescribing guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for clinicians prescribing opioids for chronic pain, acute pain, and subacute pain. The 2022 update refined recommendations to emphasize individualized patient care and reduce rigid dose thresholds that had been misapplied as hard limits. The guideline influences prescribing practices across healthcare settings and informs the regulatory environment in which your facility manages opioid-related care.

State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS). SUDORS collects detailed information on unintentional and undetermined drug overdose deaths from participating states and jurisdictions. The data includes toxicology results, circumstances of death, and route of drug use. SUDORS data is used for surveillance, policy development, and targeting prevention and treatment resources to areas of greatest need.

WONDER and National Vital Statistics System. CDC WONDER provides access to public health data including drug overdose death statistics, geographic data, and demographic breakdowns. The National Vital Statistics System provides the underlying mortality data. These resources are essential for understanding overdose trends in your service area and supporting grant applications with authoritative statistics.

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. This CDC center houses the drug overdose prevention team and administers grants to states and communities for overdose prevention activities. Programs include Overdose Data to Action, which funds surveillance and response efforts, and the Enhanced State Opioid Overdose Surveillance program, which builds state capacity to track and respond to overdose trends.

Infectious Disease Programs. The CDC’s programs for hepatitis C, HIV, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases produce clinical guidelines, screening recommendations, and treatment protocols relevant to substance use treatment settings. CDC’s hepatitis C screening recommendations and HIV prevention guidance (including pre-exposure prophylaxis) are particularly applicable to treatment facilities serving populations with injection drug use histories.

How CDC Affects Your Facility

Prescribing Protocols. CDC opioid prescribing guidelines influence the clinical protocols your prescribers follow when managing clients with pain and substance use disorders. State medical boards have incorporated CDC guidelines into prescribing regulations, and payers reference them in prior authorization criteria. Ensure your prescribing staff are current with the latest CDC guidance and that your facility’s pain management protocols reflect these recommendations.

Data-Driven Programming. CDC surveillance data helps you understand the substance use patterns, overdose risks, and demographic characteristics of your service area population. Use SUDORS, WONDER, and state health department data (much of which originates from CDC surveillance systems) to inform programming decisions, identify emerging threats, and demonstrate community need in grant applications.

Infectious Disease Screening. CDC guidelines recommend hepatitis C screening for all adults and targeted HIV screening for populations at elevated risk, including people with substance use disorders. Many state licensing standards require treatment facilities to offer or provide infectious disease screening. Following CDC screening protocols ensures your facility meets clinical standards and identifies co-occurring conditions that affect treatment planning.

Harm Reduction Integration. CDC guidance on naloxone distribution, syringe services, and overdose prevention is increasingly relevant as states require or incentivize harm reduction services at treatment facilities. Understanding CDC’s evidence base for harm reduction helps your facility design and implement these services effectively and defend their inclusion to stakeholders who may have reservations.

Grant Applications. Virtually every behavioral health grant application requires epidemiologic data to establish need. CDC data sources provide the most widely accepted statistics on overdose rates, substance use prevalence, and health disparities. Facility staff responsible for grant writing should be familiar with CDC data tools and how to extract, cite, and present this data in applications.

Resources and Contact Information

Official Website: https://www.cdc.gov ↗

CDC WONDER: https://wonder.cdc.gov ↗

Phone: (800) 232-4636 (CDC INFO)

Mailing Address: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329

Key Resources:

• CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids (2022 update)
• CDC WONDER database for overdose and mortality data
• SUDORS data and reports
• Hepatitis C screening and treatment guidance
• HIV prevention guidance including PrEP recommendations
• Overdose Data to Action grant program information

Frequently Asked Questions

This profile is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, or professional advice. Information about this organization may change — always verify current details with official sources. is not affiliated with this organization unless otherwise stated.

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Common questions

Official sources

• Visit site ↗cdc.gov
• https://wonder.cdc.govwonder.cdc.gov