NEW CAMPAIGN FOCUSES ON PERSISTENT DISPARITIES IN OVERDOSE DEATHS FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES

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Mar 25, 2025, 12:54 ET

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MARCH 26, 2025

Virtual Press Conference will launch the "You Have the Power to Save Lives" Campaign to Promote Naloxone

NEW YORK, March 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT:

A coalition of Black community leaders, government officials, and health experts across seven cities is launching a new campaign – You Have the Power to Save Lives – to combat disproportionately high overdose deaths in Black communities. Supported by the public health group Vital Strategies, the campaign has mobilized leaders across seven U.S. cities: Louisville, Kentucky; Durham, North Carolina; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Newark, New Jersey; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Detroit, Michigan; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

You Have the Power to Save Lives is promoting overdose-reversing naloxone, an easy-to-use nasal spray medication, and has partnered with local governments and community groups to increase the availability of free naloxone, especially in Black communities. The campaign also includes local advertising and community organizing, encouraging residents to take control of their health by getting and carrying naloxone. At the heart of the campaign is a new website – YouCanSaveLives.org – where people can find locations to obtain naloxone in their community, hear powerful, real-world testimonials, and take action to spread the word about the importance of carrying and using naloxone.

In addition, the campaign released an accompanying Data Brief. Findings include:

Nationwide, there has been a recent 24% decline in overdose deaths, but data suggests the number of deaths in Black communities remains disproportionately high and calls for equitable investment and focus on health interventions to address this problem
Overdose rates in Black communities have been rising for the past ten years, but have skyrocketed since 2020, when overdose rates in the Black population overtook rates in the white population.
In the vast majority of states where recent data is available by race, Black communities suffer higher fatal overdose rates than white populations.

The campaign launch will take place on Zoom at 1:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. PST on Wednesday, March 26.

WHO:

Sharda Sekaran, moderator
Daliah Heller, Vice President of Overdose Prevention Initiatives at Vital Strategies
Tracie Gardner, Executive Director of the National Black Harm Reduction Network
Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League (recorded)
Keli McLoyd, Director of the Overdose Response Unit, City of Philadelphia
Marshea Browner, Director of Community Health Services at the Detroit Health Department
Dr. Wanda Boone, Founder of Together for Resilient Youth in Durham County
Shreeta Waldon, Executive Director, Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition
Anita Garrett, a Milwaukee advocate, lost her son to a drug overdose.
Kimberly Douglas, a mother whose son died from a drug overdose. She is building a support group for Black Moms who have lost children to overdose.
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