Opioids and Overdose

The number of people who died of drug overdoses in the U.S. dropped dramatically in 2024, a promising sign amid a national fentanyl crisis that has fueled a surge in drug-related deaths in recent years. “This progress is encouraging, but it’s fragile,” said Alexandria Macmadu, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Brown University’s School of Public Health. “We can’t mistake this progress for victory. Sustained investment is essential if we want to build on this momentum instead of backsliding.”

Professor Alex Macmadu, an epidemiologist who has spent her career studying the opioid and overdose crisis, shares insights on Rhode Island’s bold step in opening the first state-approved overdose prevention center in the U.S. and what her research reveals about community attitudes toward harm reduction.

Research out of Brown University is making its way to the national spotlight. It concerns the overdose prevention center in Providence.

Fatalities from drugs including fentanyl are down from recent peaks.

The question of whether harm reduction efforts are failing remains complex. To delve deeper into this evolving issue, Newsweek has reached out to medical experts for further insights.

As opioid-related hospitalizations rise, skilled nursing facilities could offer a crucial bridge to recovery for patients with opioid use disorder. However, stigma, regulatory hurdles and funding challenges limit their potential. New research highlights policy solutions to ensure these facilities can better meet the needs of a growing and aging population with OUD.

Some states are funding projects with little chance of making a difference, write current and former members of the Rhode Island Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee

Oregon decriminalized hard drugs in 2021 and recriminalized them last month. A new analysis shows the laws likely had little effect on opioid deaths.

What is the cost of homelessness in Rhode Island? Do we measure it in dollars, hours, square footage? Or is it measured by sleepless nights, persistent coughs, uncertain futures? The reasons Rhode Islanders remain unhoused are varied, but the results are the same: marginalization and the fight to keep a stable footing.

Dean Jha addressed the School of Public Health at this annual fall event, showcasing the school’s impact by sharing the stage with members of the school’s community, including student, staff and faculty speakers.

laire Macon in Providence, Rhode Island, has one of the rarest job titles in the United States: overdose prevention center manager.

For years, the number of people dying of drug overdoses was on the rise nationwide and in Rhode Island. Then, there was a push to change that, specifically by introducing the life-saving drug Narcan. Last year, the number of people overdosing actually dropped. We look deeper into those figures.

The expert panel—which discussed the overdose crisis in America—included a federal policymaker, a community organizer, as well as practicing physicians and public health experts.

The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday.

Rhode Island will make history later this year when it opens the first state-approved safe injection site in the country. To get ready for this big moment, we spoke to Brandon del Pozo, who’s studied the effects of New York City’s safe injection sites.

Camping on city streets, open-air drug use, and crime are generating fierce pushback against harm reduction efforts like decriminalization. It doesn’t have to be this way.

American life expectancy started dropping even before the pandemic. It’s a critical barometer of our nation’s health and a sign that all is not well in the U.S.

The latest installment of the Pandemic Center’s film series featured a screening and panel discussion with experts in addiction and harm reduction.

The facility, also known as a safe injection center, will be the first in Rhode Island and the only one in the U.S. outside New York City to operate openly.

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin was the first physician in the nation to serve patients in a mobile drug recovery unit. The van, an innovative public health intervention on wheels, delivers services to individuals suffering from substance use disorder in Rhode Island’s underserved communities.

A study co-led by a Brown University researcher indicates that overdose prevention centers, like the one poised to open in Providence next year, do not lead to increased neighborhood crime rates.

Data shows harm reduction works. Here's how to read it properly.

By passing Measure 110, Oregonians sought to begin undoing the harms caused by over 50 years of a failed War on Drugs. Those harms won’t be fixed overnight.

With over $3.5M in support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Brown investigators hope to identify best practices for navigating Medicaid policies and ultimately improve patient and population health.

Professor Alexandra Collins is studying Rhode Island’s local drug supply and the risks posed by the addition of the animal tranquilizer Xylazine.

A new study from epidemiologists at Brown examines the efficiency of different naloxone distribution methods to reduce health inequities and save lives.

In the age of pandemics and misinformation, questions of how and when public health researchers should communicate their findings and influence public policy, grow in importance. One group at the School of Public Health has found new ways to translate public health research into action.

Rhode Island's mobile methadone vans are the first of their type in the US. Dr. Francesca Beaudoin says they're an effective way to increase access to necessary medication, especially for those without housing or transportation.

As fatal overdoses reach a record high, Rhode Island becomes the first state in the country to legalize harm reduction centers, where people can use illicit drugs under the supervision of trained staff. Rhode Island PBS Weekly speaks to Brandon Marshall about how these centers work.

Brown is at the forefront of the future of public health, with researchers joining local partners to combine evidence, insight, and a commitment to impact to bring harm reduction tools to Rhode Island communities.

The findings about the causes and characteristics of overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic may be used to inform policies that could lower death rates even after COVID-19 is under control.

A research team led by Brandon Marshall, an associate professor of epidemiology at Brown University's School of Public Health, found a 25 percent increase in fatal opioid overdoses after periods of freezing temperatures compared to days with an average temperature of 52 degrees. One possibility is that opioid use and exposure to cold weather could combine to create a negative biological effect, said William Goedel, a doctoral student at the School of Public Health, who spearheaded the analysis.