As the country marks National Opioid Awareness Day on Monday (Sept. 21), the Alabama Department of Mental Health is highlighting the state’s progress on reducing overdose deaths.
Substance-related overdose deaths fell 46% in Alabama between March 2024 and March 2026, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“In Alabama, we are committed to increasing awareness through continued education, prevention, treatment and recovery supports,” Commissioner Kimberly Boswell said in a press release. “As we celebrate National Opioid Awareness Day today and every day, we are encouraged by the progress made to expand access to care, support individuals and families, decrease overdoses, and save lives.”
‘Coordinated efforts’
The ADMH said in the release that more than 222,000 kits including overdose-reversal medication naloxone have been distributed in Alabama since 2019. The department attributes the progress to “coordinated efforts” between the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council, the Oversight Commission on Alabama Opioid Settlement Funds, state agencies and community partners and providers.
The state established the oversight group in 2023 after receiving more than $720 million in opioid settlement money from pharmacies CVS and Walgreens, as well as drug makers Teva, Cardinal Health, Cencora and Allergan for their role in the opioid epidemic.
Oversight Commission Chair Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, said that National Opioid Awareness Day is a reminder that though the state has made strides forward in addressing the opioid crisis, its work is not done.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Claire Harrison and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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