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Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center

Drug Overdose Prevention

In 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States, at 49.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Only West Virginia and the District of Columbia had higher fatality rates for that year (82 and 57.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). The total age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate for the U.S. was 28.3 in 2020. Opioids continue to be involved in a large proportion of overdoses: Approximately 81% of Kentucky resident overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. Additionally, the proportion of Kentucky resident overdose deaths involving fentanyl has increased from 29% in 2016 to 69% in 2020. Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury-related mortality for Kentucky residents aged 24-64 from 2016-2020. For data requests, click here. To view the drug overdose county profiles, click here.

The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, as a bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public Health, collaborates with state, university, and community partners to implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) prevention efforts.

In 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States, at 49.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Only West Virginia and the District of Columbia had higher fatality rates for that year (82 and 57.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). The total age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate for the U.S. was 28.3 in 2020. Opioids continue to be involved in a large proportion of overdoses: Approximately 81% of Kentucky resident overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. Additionally, the proportion of Kentucky resident overdose deaths involving fentanyl has increased from 29% in 2016 to 69% in 2020. Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury-related mortality for Kentucky residents aged 24-64 from 2016-2020. For data requests, click here. To view the drug overdose county profiles, click here.

The mission of the Kentucky Drug Overdose Surveillance program is to provide timely reports on the morbidity and mortality associated with drug overdose in the Commonwealth.

In 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States, at 49.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Only West Virginia and the District of Columbia had higher fatality rates for that year (82 and 57.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). The total age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate for the U.S. was 28.3 in 2020. Opioids continue to be involved in a large proportion of overdoses: Approximately 81% of Kentucky resident overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. Additionally, the proportion of Kentucky resident overdose deaths involving fentanyl has increased from 29% in 2016 to 69% in 2020. Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury-related mortality for Kentucky residents aged 24-64 from 2016-2020. For data requests, click here. To view the drug overdose county profiles, click here.

FindHelpNowKY.org was created by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center in partnership with the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, and the KY HELP line.

In 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States, at 49.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Only West Virginia and the District of Columbia had higher fatality rates for that year (82 and 57.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). The total age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate for the U.S. was 28.3 in 2020. Opioids continue to be involved in a large proportion of overdoses: Approximately 81% of Kentucky resident overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. Additionally, the proportion of Kentucky resident overdose deaths involving fentanyl has increased from 29% in 2016 to 69% in 2020. Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury-related mortality for Kentucky residents aged 24-64 from 2016-2020. For data requests, click here. To view the drug overdose county profiles, click here.

Access to Recovery (ATR) is a linkage strategy supported by the U.S.

In 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States, at 49.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Only West Virginia and the District of Columbia had higher fatality rates for that year (82 and 57.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). The total age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate for the U.S. was 28.3 in 2020. Opioids continue to be involved in a large proportion of overdoses: Approximately 81% of Kentucky resident overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. Additionally, the proportion of Kentucky resident overdose deaths involving fentanyl has increased from 29% in 2016 to 69% in 2020. Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury-related mortality for Kentucky residents aged 24-64 from 2016-2020. For data requests, click here. To view the drug overdose county profiles, click here.

The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, as a bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public Health, collaborates with state, university, and community partners to implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) surveillance strategies, which includes timely analysis of drug overdose emergency department encounters, fatal drug overdoses using multiple data sources, and an innovative public health surveillance strategy using remnant…

In 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States, at 49.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Only West Virginia and the District of Columbia had higher fatality rates for that year (82 and 57.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). The total age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate for the U.S. was 28.3 in 2020. Opioids continue to be involved in a large proportion of overdoses: Approximately 81% of Kentucky resident overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. Additionally, the proportion of Kentucky resident overdose deaths involving fentanyl has increased from 29% in 2016 to 69% in 2020. Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury-related mortality for Kentucky residents aged 24-64 from 2016-2020. For data requests, click here. To view the drug overdose county profiles, click here.

The Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC) is a statewide network of birthing hospitals and stakeholder teams collaborating on improving the quality of care during pregnancy, delivery, and throughout the first year of life.

In 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States, at 49.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Only West Virginia and the District of Columbia had higher fatality rates for that year (82 and 57.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). The total age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate for the U.S. was 28.3 in 2020. Opioids continue to be involved in a large proportion of overdoses: Approximately 81% of Kentucky resident overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. Additionally, the proportion of Kentucky resident overdose deaths involving fentanyl has increased from 29% in 2016 to 69% in 2020. Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury-related mortality for Kentucky residents aged 24-64 from 2016-2020. For data requests, click here. To view the drug overdose county profiles, click here.

The Rural Center of Excellence on Recovery Housing (RCOE-RH) focuses on increasing the quality and availability of, and access to, recovery housing in more than 100 rural counties within the service area of Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia.

In 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States, at 49.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Only West Virginia and the District of Columbia had higher fatality rates for that year (82 and 57.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). The total age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate for the U.S. was 28.3 in 2020. Opioids continue to be involved in a large proportion of overdoses: Approximately 81% of Kentucky resident overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. Additionally, the proportion of Kentucky resident overdose deaths involving fentanyl has increased from 29% in 2016 to 69% in 2020. Poisoning remains the leading cause of injury-related mortality for Kentucky residents aged 24-64 from 2016-2020. For data requests, click here. To view the drug overdose county profiles, click here.

This collaboration between the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina will use advanced methods to determine what doses of buprenorphine best prevent overdose and death. In this project, health care records from Kentucky will be linked with dispensing and death certificates to create a specially designed database that allows the researchers to answer questions of cause and effect.

Contact: Daniela C. Moga at daniela.moga@uky.edu

Drug Overdose PreventionRecent Reports

Peer2Peer: Find Recovery Housing

The FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org website makes finding recovery housing that matches a person’s needs quick and easy. This one-pager walks the reader through the process of conducting a search on FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org.

Peer2Peer: Finding Mental Health Help

Finding appropriate mental health treatment for a person who needs help can be complicated and time-consuming. The FindMentalHealthNowKY.org website makes finding mental health treatment that matches a person’s needs quick and easy.

Peer2Peer: Finding Naloxone

When administered quickly and correctly, naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose and prevent the person who is suffering the overdose from dying. Naloxone is widely available, free or at low cost, in communities all across Kentucky. This one-pager walks the reader through conducting a simple search on FindHelpNowKY.org to find the nearest supplier of naloxone.

The annual Kentucky Harm Reduction Summit brings together public health professionals, peer support specialists, recovery community organizations, and other partners. In 2025, approximately 380 attendees convened to share innovative practices, learn from individuals with lived experience, and collaborate on solutions to Kentucky’s ongoing drug overdose crisis.

Peer2Peer: Understanding ODMAP

ODMAP is a free, web-based tool that allows public safety and public health officials to track drug overdose events in their communities in near real time. This one-pager outlines an overview of ODMAP for care navigators.

Kentucky Injury Prevention & Research Center
2365 Harrodsburg Road
Southcreek Building B, Suite B475
Lexington, Kentucky 40504
(859) 257-4954

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