During the 2024 NGA Summer Meeting, held in Salt Lake City, Utah First Lady Abby Cox held a meeting with the nation’s First Spouses to focus on efforts Virginia First Lady Suzanne Youngkin and New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy are leading to encourage Governors and First Spouses to help mark August 21 as National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day and August 31 as International Overdose Awareness Day. The awareness dates seek to help more Americans learn about the fentanyl crisis and the state and federal resources designed to help raise awareness and take action to prevent overdose. These awareness dates come as research shows the crushing impact of fentanyl on Americans of all ages and backgrounds, with synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, being the primary driver of overdose deaths in the United States.
Governor Youngkin joined the meeting to highlight the work Mrs. Youngkin and his administration have been leading to address overdose prevention, including the One Pill Can Kill campaign, an initiative created to help generate conversations around the dangers of counterfeit drugs and fentanyl.
Governor Youngkin discussed the value of raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, especially around the August dates, saying: “I believe there’s an opportunity for all of us to tackle the fentanyl crisis in a variety of ways, but top of the list is just awareness education [ … ] this is just a moment for us to gather everyone together and say this matters, and it’s not that hard for us to work together to raise awareness.”
Mrs. Murphy outlined work she has been leading along with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s administration, including ReachNJ, a central call-in line for New Jersey residents who are looking for help with a substance use disorder.
Mrs. Murphy also detailed plans she’s developing with Mrs. Youngkin to engage the nation’s Governors and First Spouses around nationwide efforts to mark the Awareness Days. Governors’ offices will be asked to engage in acts like lighting Governors’ mansions purple, as some elected leaders like Governors like Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear did last year, and using social media to share educational resources about fentanyl prevention. Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Youngkin will engage directly with other First Spouses to share resources to help offices participate in the awareness campaigns.
Mrs. Murphy noted the bipartisan efforts driving state action, explaining that this issue “is one of those moments where we can all come together across party lines and really make an impact.”
Governors’ offices interested in join the efforts to mark the upcoming August awareness dates can contact NGA’s membership team for more information.
