Richard Taite podcast backs CDC Foundation overdose prevention campaign

Richard Taite’s “We’re Out of Time” podcast is partnering with the CDC Foundation during Overdose Awareness Month to drive donations and public action ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31. Taite will match eligible contributions up to $25,000 for community overdose prevention efforts.

Why it matters: - The partnership turns overdose awareness into direct funding for community-based prevention at a time when overdose deaths remain a national crisis. - The campaign aims to support efforts that connect people to care before a crisis becomes fatal.

What happened: - “We’re Out of Time,” a top-ranked mental health podcast on Apple hosted by Richard Taite, is supporting the CDC Foundation during Overdose Awareness Month. - Taite, founder and executive chairman of Carrara Treatment Wellness & Spa, will match donations to the CDC Foundation’s Community Overdose Prevention Efforts campaign dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000. - The campaign launched with a special episode featuring CDC Foundation President and CEO Dr. Judy Monroe and CDC Foundation Public Health Analyst Terri Perez, JD. - The partnership will run through Overdose Awareness Month and build toward International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.

The details: - The episode brings together public health, public safety, addiction treatment and family experience in one conversation about overdose prevention. - Monroe discusses the CDC Foundation’s role in public health and reflects on her early work as a physician serving rural communities. - Perez draws on 31 years as a deputy district attorney and narcotics prosecutor in San Diego, along with her family’s experience with addiction and recovery. - The discussion covers stigma, emerging drug threats, harm reduction and the need to connect people to care before an emergency. - Taite said he wanted to use the platform to do more than raise awareness and help prevent families from losing loved ones. - Monroe said the podcast creates space for conversations that can break down stigma and show how public health, public safety, treatment providers, families and communities can work together. - Donations will support the CDC Foundation’s Community Overdose Prevention Efforts campaign. - Funds will help strengthen community-driven overdose prevention and support responses to the changing overdose crisis. - The release includes a call to donate to the CDC Foundation COPE campaign.

Between the lines: - The effort reflects a broader shift from awareness campaigns alone to measurable action, with media attention tied directly to fundraising. - The framing suggests overdose prevention works best when law enforcement, clinicians, treatment providers and families are aligned rather than siloed. - The matching pledge is designed to increase urgency by making small donations go twice as far.

What's next: - COPE messages and calls to action will continue across future “We’re Out of Time” episodes and social media throughout the month. - The campaign will culminate around International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, a global observance focused on remembering overdose victims and advancing prevention.