White House To Host Families Of Overdose Victims During Awareness Week

The White House announced on Tuesday that it will be hosting families of overdose victims and advocates from across the United States, in an effort to address the ongoing overdose epidemic. This meeting is scheduled to take place on August 28th, just days after President Joe Biden declared the period between August 25th and August 31st as Overdose Awareness Week, to commemorate those who have lost their lives due to overdoses.

At the event, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Dr. Rahul Gupta, the White House Drug Control Policy Director, as well as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, and HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon. These officials will discuss the actions and investments being made by the administration to address this issue, while also sharing stories from underserved communities that have been directly impacted by this crisis. The importance of a collective effort from all segments of society in combating this epidemic and saving lives will also be emphasized.

During the meeting, President Biden reflected on the progress made so far in reducing the number of annual overdose deaths, while acknowledging that much more still needs to be done. His administration has taken a comprehensive approach to tackling the epidemic, which includes expanding access to treatments and increasing the number of healthcare providers authorized to prescribe such medications.

Furthermore, the President has pledged to combat the stigmatization of substance use and accidental overdoses, by ensuring wider access to opioid overdose reversal medications in schools and other locations where overdoses may occur.

According to the CDC, overdose deaths involving opioids decreased from 84,181 in 2022 to 81,083 last year, and deaths linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl dropped from 76,226 to 74,702 during the same period. However, there has been an increase in deaths related to psychostimulants and cocaine. Between 2022 and 2023, deaths linked to psychostimulants increased from 35,550 to 36,251, while deaths related to cocaine rose from 28,441 to 29,918.

Notably, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon recorded significant increases of at least 27 percent in drug overdose deaths last year, as reported by the CDC.