Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Webinar to Address Shifting Disparities in Opioid Overdose Prevention
Millburn, NJ, June 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The next webinar in the 2026 Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Learning Series will focus on the changing impact of the opioid epidemic across communities and the need for more equitable prevention, treatment and response strategies. The free session, titled “Achieving Racial & Ethnic Equity in Response to the Opioid Epidemic,” will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 25, and is presented by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), the Office of Alternative and Community Responses (OACR), and the Opioid Education Foundation of America (OEFA).
The webinar will feature Dr. Fabiola Arbelo Cruz, an assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the Health Equity Curriculum of the Yale Psychiatry Residency Program.
While white Americans have historically accounted for the majority of opioid overdose deaths, recent data show that the impact of the opioid epidemic has shifted across racial, ethnic, age and gender groups. The webinar will explore these broader disparities, including sharp increases in overdose death rates among Black and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities, as well as the factors that contribute to unequal outcomes in prevention, education, treatment access and continuing care.
According to KFF opioid death rates increased by more than 700 percent among Black Americans over the past decade, compared with 140 percent among white Americans. KFF also reported that in 2023, opioid death rates were about 25 per 100,000 people for white Americans, almost 38 per 100,000 people for Black Americans and nearly 50 per 100,000 people for American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
The session will also address disparities in access to opioid treatment, including barriers to medications for opioid use disorder, distance from providers, Medicaid coverage challenges and difficulty continuing treatment. Additional data show that opioid death rates remain highest among adults ages 26 to 44 and are significantly higher among men than women, while rates among adults over 65 increased between 2022 and 2023.
“The opioid epidemic has not affected every community in the same way, and our response needs to reflect that,” said Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ. “This webinar will help bring attention to the disparities that persist and the need for education, prevention and treatment strategies that reach all communities equitably.”
The Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Learning Series has reached over 10,000 participants annually, providing continuing education to professionals in healthcare, behavioral health, emergency services, and community leadership. Since its launch in 2020, the series has featured national and state-level experts who bring a multidisciplinary perspective to combating opioid misuse.
The initiative is part of the broader Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day campaign, held statewide on October 6, which brings together communities and prescribers to raise awareness about the risks of opioid misuse. In 2025 alone, New Jersey saw 1,312 suspected overdose deaths, underscoring the need for sustained, inclusive outreach and education.
To register for the webinar and learn more, visit: knockoutday.drugfreenj.org
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Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the Partnership has garnered 232 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.
Lisa Batitto Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey 973-467-2100 news@drugfreenj.org
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