You Have the Power to Save Lives
Learn MoreIssue
Overdose Prevention in Black Communities
Location
United States
Date
EARLY 2025
Problem
The United States loses more than 80,000 people every year to overdose deaths, and Black and Indigenous communities continue to be disproportionately affected.
Solution
Low-barrier, confidential access to naloxone combined with efforts to reduce stigma saves lives.
Campaign
Vital Strategies partnered with community leaders, city agencies, and other critical partners to develop and launch the “You Have the Power to Save Lives” campaign in March 2025. The campaign was designed to raise awareness and promote the availability of naloxone in Black communities in seven U.S. cities, uniting community leaders, public officials and health experts to spread the word. Backed by a robust advertising strategy and featuring stories from parents, pastors and other community leaders, the campaign reached hundreds of thousands of Black Americans where they live, work, worship and gather.
Impact
Campaign media generated over 32 million total impressions, nearly 1.5 million video views, and hundreds of media hits nationwide. People who saw the campaign were at least five times more likely to carry naloxone, three times more likely to know where to get it and two times more likely to feel confident using it to reverse an overdose.