The Bay State is again receiving positive news in its fight against the drug overdose crisis, as new data shows that OD deaths significantly dropped in a recent 12-month period.

Massachusetts had about 2,032 drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended June 30, according to provisional CDC data. That was a major 23% decline from the 2,630 overdose deaths over the previous year.

The Bay State’s estimated drop of 22.74% in deaths outpaces the nationwide decrease of 14.45%.

This promising data for Massachusetts comes in the wake of the Department of Public Health reporting that opioid-related overdose deaths decreased by 10% in 2023 — the largest single-year decline since 2009-2010.

“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Deirdre Calvert, director of DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, told the Herald about the new CDC data on Wednesday.

“We’re going to keep plugging away, and we won’t take our foot off the gas,” Calvert added.

Overall in the U.S., there were an estimated 96,801 drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended June 30. That was a 14.5% decrease from the 113,154 deaths in the previous year.

In addition to Massachusetts, overdose deaths dropped across New England and in 45 states overall. The states with death increases were Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Alaska.

Calvert cited several strategies that have helped lead to the recent drop in Massachusetts, including expanding access to Narcan to help reverse overdoses. In June, DPH had reported that the agency since 2023 had distributed more than 196,500 naloxone kits, resulting in at least 10,206 overdose reversals.

The Bay State is continuing to invest in evidence-based harm reduction interventions, such as fentanyl test strips. In June, DPH had reported that the agency had distributed more than 504,000 fentanyl test strip kits at no cost to providers and community organizations.

It’s important to keep “letting people know that there’s a tainted drug supply,” Calvert said, noting that the chances of even cocaine and methamphetamine “being contaminated are great.”

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The state’s opioid overdose prevention efforts include initiatives to address the disproportionate impacts of fatal opioid overdoses on communities of color and in the most rural areas.

“We really need to double down on our efforts to engage communities of color, reaching out to our community partners and ensuring this equity happens,” Calvert said.

In the future, supervised injection sites could help prevent fatal overdoses in the Bay State, according to officials. DPH has found that overdose prevention centers are an “evidence-based, life-saving tool.” Overdose prevention centers, which have operated for decades in other countries like Canada and Australia, are sites where people can use drugs under the supervision of trained staff — who can administer Narcan.