ATLANTA — Emergency responders across Georgia and the nation are reporting a significant decline in 911 calls related to drug overdoses, reflecting broader trends outlined in a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the newly released 2025 ESO EMS Index which analyzes data from more than 3,000 EMS agencies nationwide, including those in Georgia overdose-related calls dropped from 2% of all emergency calls to just 1% last year.
“It had a huge decrease from 2% of all calls to 1% of all calls,” said Brent Meyers, spokesperson for ESO, a software provider for first responders. “As you know, there are over 10 million calls across the country. It’s a very significant decrease in the number of responses EMS have to go through for this particular complaint.”
Despite the decline, Meyers noted that the overwhelming majority of overdose-related calls continue to involve opioids, a trend that has remained consistent for years.
In 2024, EMS agencies across the U.S. responded to approximately 12.5 million 911 calls. Falls and motor vehicle crashes remain the two most common types of emergency calls.
The drop in overdose calls mirrors CDC findings showing a 27% decrease in overdose deaths nationwide, a promising shift that public health experts partly attribute to the wider availability of opioid-reversal treatments like naloxone.
WSBs Ashley Simmons contributed to this story
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