To: State, territorial, tribal, and local policymakers and administrators of agencies and programs focused on child, youth, and family health and well-being

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your work to support children, youth, and families. Populations served by Administration for Children and Families (ACF)-funded programs — including victims of trafficking or violence, those who are unhoused, and young people and families involved in the child welfare system — are often at particularly high risk for substance use and overdose. A variety of efforts are underway at the federal, state, and local levels to reduce overdose deaths. These efforts focus on stopping drugs from entering communities, providing life-saving resources, and preventing drug use before it starts. Initiatives across the country are already saving lives: the overdose death rate has declined over the past year but remains too high at 32.6 per 100,000 individuals.

Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, raises the risk of overdose deaths because even a tiny amount can be deadly. Young people are particularly at risk for fentanyl exposure, driven in part by widespread availability of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl that are marketed to youth through social media. While overdose deaths among teens have recently begun to decline, there were 6,696 deaths among adolescents and young adults in 2022 (the latest year with data available)[1], making unintentional drug overdose the second leading cause of death for youth ages 15—19 and the first leading cause of death among young adults ages 20-24.[2]

Often these deaths happen with others nearby and can be prevented when opioid overdose reversal medications, like naloxone, are administered in time. CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System dashboard shows that in all 30 jurisdictions with available data, 64.7% of drug overdose deaths had at least one potential opportunity for intervention.[3] Naloxone rapidly reverses an overdose and should be given to any person who shows signs of an opioid overdose or when an overdose is suspected. It can be given as a nasal spray. Studies show that naloxone administration reduces death rates and does not cause harm if used on a person who is not overdosing on opioids. States have different policies and regulations regarding naloxone distribution and administration. Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia have Good Samaritan laws protecting bystanders who aid at the scene of an overdose.[4]

ACF grant recipients and partners can play a critical role in reducing overdose deaths by taking the following actions:

Stop Overdose Now

(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Integrating Harm Reduction Strategies into Services and Supports for Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness (PDF) (ACF)

Thank you for your dedication and partnership. If you have any questions, please contact your local public health department or state behavioral health agency. Together, we can meaningfully reduce overdose deaths in every community.

/s/

Meg Sullivan

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary

[1] Products - Data Briefs - Number 491 - March 2024

[2] WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Visualization Tool

[3] SUDORS Dashboard: Fatal Drug Overdose Data | Overdose Prevention | CDC

[4] Based on 2024 report from the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association

(PDF). Note that the state of Kansas adopted protections as well following the publication of this report.

Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates for the leading causes of death, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.