Drug Safety Task Force


The IPRCE Drug Safety Task Force has a central focus on ending the opioid epidemic in Georgia.

The task force objectives are to identify data sources and analyses that provide accurate information on drug-related injury and death in Georgia and develop an action plan with the input of our community partners and stakeholders.

Drug safety can be defined in many ways.  

  • A lab specialist may define drug safety as the benefit-risk assessment of new medications.
  • A community health educator may define drug safety as safe storage and disposal of over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
  • A medical doctor may define drug safety as the proper use of prescription medications.
  • A substance abuse counselor may define drug safety as avoiding the dependency on drugs. 

All these definitions of drug safety have a common goal – keeping all people, of all ages, safe from potential adverse effects of over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, or illicit substances.

The Georgia Department of Public Health reports that from 2010 to 2022, the total number of opioid-related overdose deaths in Georgia increased by 302%. These increases were driven largely by fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid often found in drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and counterfeit pills. From 2019 to 2022, fentanyl-involved drug overdose deaths increased 308%, from 392 to 1,6011.

Task Force Highlights


  • The Drug Safety Task Force was the steering committee for the development of the state of Georgia’s Strategic Plan for Opioid Response
  • Members of the IPRCE Drug Safety Task Force contributed to the Georgia Department of Health Multi-Stakeholder Opioid and Substance Use Response Plan
View Opioid Report (PDF)

Task Force Leaders

Nicholas Giordano, PhD, RN 

Assistant Professor, Emory School of Nursing

Joseph Carpenter, MD

Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

Join Us


Drug Safety Task Force

Join the IPRCE Drug Safety Task Force and contribute to our goal of ending the opioid epidemic in Georgia and the Southeast.

Task Force Interest Form

Other Resources