Official State of Rhode Island website

State of Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee

Rhode Island Surpasses 2030 Goal as Overdose Deaths Continue to Decline

Published on Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Whole-of-government approach and strong community partnerships drive progress

PROVIDENCE, RI — Governor Dan McKee and the Overdose Task Force announced today that overdose deaths in Rhode Island have dropped 50% since 2022, surpassing the State’s 2030 goal to reduce overdose deaths by 30%. This marks the third consecutive year that fatal overdoses decreased statewide in Rhode Island.

According to new data from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), 219 people lost their lives to accidental overdoses in 2025, down from 329 in 2024 and 436 in 2022. This is the lowest number of overdose deaths the state has seen since before 2013, when overdose deaths began to precipitously rise, and overdose was recognized as a major public health crisis.

“Today’s announcement of Rhode Island’s decrease in overdose deaths shows what is possible when the State works hand-in-hand with the community, with a shared commitment to getting people into recovery and saving and improving lives,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Any overdose is one too many. We have more work to do, but we should be proud of the progress we have made as a State.”

The Governor’s Overdose Task Force focuses on four main priorities guided by the State’s Strategic Plan: Reinforcing Comprehensive Prevention, Strengthening Harm Reduction and Rescue, Increasing Engagement in Treatment, and Supporting Recovery. This work is guided by cross-cutting strategies, including racial equity, strong coordination, data to inform action, and education to achieve these goals and improve people’s lives.

The Governor’s Overdose Task Force brings together more than 150 people each month, representing a multidisciplinary coalition of professionals and community members with lived experience. The Task Force facilitates 10 work groups led by State and community co-chairs. Through its meetings and biannual community conversations, the Overdose Task Force gathers input from people and organizations across Rhode Island. This feedback helps ensure that community voices are heard and informs the work of the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (OSAC).

“Community voices have helped guide this work from the beginning,” said Overdose Task Force Director Cathy Schultz, MPH. “People with lived experience and community partners have been integral to moving this progress forward. We are grateful to every community member who shares their time, expertise, and leadership to help save lives and support this work across our State.”

“Every number or data point is a human life whose family, friends, and community are forever changed by loss. This progress matters because more Rhode Islanders are still here with us today. Thanks to strong community support and resources, we are helping more individuals, families, and communities find hope and recovery,” said Alex Gautieri, MSW, LCSW, Overdose Task Force Community Co-Chair.

“The decrease in overdose deaths shows the impact of statewide, coordinated public health and community-driven efforts. Still, drug overdose remains one of the most pressing public health challenges we face. Every life lost reminds us that we must continue investing in evidence-based harm reduction strategies to keep people and communities safe, healthy, and connected to support,” said Director of Health and Overdose Task Force Co-Chair Jerry Larkin, MD.

“Our mission is to save lives, so to see the number of overdose deaths drop for a third straight year is encouraging. But making progress in no way means our work is done. Rather, it provides an opportunity to assess what is working as we share a message of prevention, lead people to treatment and recovery, and provide help to people who are in crisis,” said Richard Leclerc, Director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals and Overdose Task Force Co-Chair.

“The release of the data reflecting Rhode Island’s remarkable decrease in overdose deaths today is tremendously heartening.  As a state and as a country, we have listened and collaborated to, as stated earlier today, bring the voices of those with lived experience, those who have dedicated their professional lives to the science and the practice of care, and the communities affected—all to the table," said Linda Hurley, President and CEO of CODAC Behavioral Health Care. "We have begun a true change in the culture of care to reflect and truly be grounded in whole person care. At CODAC, we have integrated all services, inclusive of treatment, to meet the needs of those we serve. This integration of state agencies, providers of care, and the communities affected is truly unique and effective. Just in the last quarter, we have assisted over 200 more individuals with care for this disease. The modernization of federal regulation for medicines for opioid use disorder and the growing social appreciation of substance use disorder as a disease, as opposed to a moral failure, have deeply impacted our ability to respond in a caring, respectful, efficient, and effective way. Thank you to all of our partners who contribute every day to saving lives."

Overview of 2025 Fatal Overdose Data

Fatal drug overdose data are collected by RIDOH’s Office of State Medical Examiners and RIDOH’s State Health Laboratories. Because complex drug testing is needed to determine an individual’s cause of death, it can take several months to complete and confirm yearly overdose data.

  • In 2025, the State recorded its lowest number of overdose deaths since 2012.
  • Overdose deaths in Rhode Island have decreased by 50% since 2022 (when 436 lives were lost), surpassing the State’s 2030 goal to reduce overdose deaths by 30%.
  • Overdose deaths decreased by 33.4% from 329 in 2024 to 219 in 2025.
  • Most people who died from a drug overdose in 2025 were male (73%), similar to previous years.
  • From 2024 to 2025, middle-aged and older adults aged 35 to 64 experienced the highest burden of overdose.
  • In 2025, the rate of fatal overdose decreased among all racial and ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic Black Rhode Islanders had the highest burden of fatal overdose (31.6 per 100,000 residents, followed by non-Hispanic white Rhode Islanders (16.5 per 100,000 residents) and Hispanic or Latino Rhode Islanders (13.4 per 100,000 residents).
  • Similar to previous years, the percentage of overdose deaths involving any opioids accounted for 73% of overdose deaths, with fentanyl contributing to 57% of all overdose deaths. In most of these cases, another substance was also present according to toxicology reports.
  • The number of fatal overdoses involving illicit drugs alone decreased from 165 in 2024 to 118 in 2025. About half of overdoses continue to involve prescription drugs alone or in combination with illicit drugs (46%).
  • Stimulant-involved overdose deaths continued to be more common among non-Hispanic Black individuals (88%), while opioid-involved overdose deaths were more common among Hispanic or Latino individuals (91%).
  • 74% of individuals died in private settings like homes. In about half of fatal overdoses (53%) that occurred in the first six months of the year, a bystander was nearby. 

Key Overdose Prevention Efforts

  • Rhode Island’s Overdose Prevention Center (OPC), operated by Project Weber/RENEW, provides a space where community members can connect with the care and resources they need to make healthier, safer choices in their own lives. OPCs prevent drug overdoses, reduce the spread of infectious diseases, and partner with communities to strengthen neighborhoods, improve health outcomes, and save lives. From January 2025 through April 2026, the OPC had approximately 12,040 visits, more than 150 total interventions, and 0 fatal overdoses. A substance use treatment provider offers on-site comprehensive medical and behavioral health services.
  • Peer-led harm reduction organizations deploy recovery support specialists, including women’s health street outreach teams, to provide naloxone, early pregnancy tests, fentanyl test strips, harm reduction education and supplies, and connections to treatment, HIV and hepatitis C testing, and recovery support.
  • Centralized naloxone supply hubs provide free naloxone across the state, including 55,557 naloxone kits distributed in 2025 through community-based organizations (44,244 kits) and pharmacies (11,313).
  • Comprehensive substance use prevention needs assessments and strategic plans developed by the Rhode Island Regional Prevention Task Force (RPTF) Coalitions and Rhode Island Municipal Substance Use Prevention Coalitions focus on addressing risk and protective factors to prevent substance misuse of Rhode Islanders of all ages. This includes six strategies: education, environmental strategies, information dissemination, problem identification and referral, community-based process, and alternative events for all substances, including opioids, synthetic opioids, and other prescription drugs as well as tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis.

Additional examples of Rhode Island’s 2025 overdose prevention efforts can be accessed here.

Resources for People Who Need Help

24/7 resources are available for Rhode Islanders who need immediate help for substance use conditions.

  • Visit PreventOverdoseRI.org’s Get Help webpage for information about local overdose prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.
  • Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to connect with a trained crisis counselor through 988 Lifeline. In addition, BH Link, located at 975 Waterman Ave., East Providence, offers community-based, walk-in services for immediate, stabilizing emergency behavioral health services.
  • Contact Rhode Island’s Buprenorphine Hotline at 401-606-5456 to access telehealth services for the initiation of buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder.
  • For children and youth younger than 18, call Kids’ Link at 1-855-543-5465. Kids’ Link RI triages and refers children and youth to behavioral health and treatment services.
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