Pain in the Nation 2025: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths

Join Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) for a national webinar and congressional briefing on our recently released report, Pain in the Nation 2025: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths.

TFAH’s Pain in the Nation 2025 report found that over 200,000 Americans died from alcohol, drugs, and suicide in 2023. While this marks a decline from 2022, deaths remain more than double what they were two decades ago. The report highlights improvements in alcohol and drug-related mortality, but disparities persist. Only white Americans saw a drop in overdose deaths, and rates of such deaths remained highest in communities of color. Furthermore, while the reported data represents real progress, current and potential federal funding cuts, public health workforce reductions, and proposed federal agency reorganizations could undermine it.

Please join us as we discuss steps policymakers should take to sustain the progress in reducing drug, alcohol, and suicide deaths and to ensure the improvements are experienced in all communities. The briefing will include time for Q&A from the audience.

Panelists

• Regina LaBelle JD
  Regina LaBelle is a distinguished scholar and director of the Center on Addiction Policy at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center.
  Bio
  
• Christina Mullins
  Christina Mullins is the Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder. Previously, she served as the Commissioner for the Bureau for Behavioral Health, Director of the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health and has worked in a variety of maternal and child health programs. 
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• Sharon Gilmartin, MPH
  Sharon Gilmartin, MPH, is the Executive Director of the Safe States Alliance, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the practice of injury and violence prevention.
  Bio
  

Moderator

• Tekisha Dwan Everette
  Tekisha Everette is TFAH’s Executive Vice President. In this role, she works in partnership with TFAH’s President and CEO to chart and implement the organization’s strategic direction and priorities, provides counsel on current and emerging policy issues, and engages with key organizations, policymakers, and other partners to advance policy priorities to improve public health and promote equity.
  Bio