HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania is deploying a new front line in its war against addiction, one that starts not in clinics or courtrooms, but in living rooms across the Commonwealth.
State officials on Tuesday unveiled a free, online Family Learning Series designed to help relatives and loved ones of people struggling with substance use disorder navigate the maze of prevention, treatment, and recovery. The tool, launched by the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, gives families on-demand access to short training modules that explain what addiction is, what treatment looks like, and how to support someone on the long road back.
“Addiction is a family disease,” said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “We heard from families across the Commonwealth who want to help a loved one who is struggling with substance use disorder, but don’t know where to turn to for help or how to navigate the system of services and supports. The Shapiro Administration heard the call and answered.”
Each virtual module runs 10 to 15 minutes and is paired with practical resources. Topics range from setting healthy boundaries and practicing self-care, to understanding how drugs alter the brain, to what families should expect when a loved one enters treatment or begins recovery. Other lessons focus on how to talk to children when a parent has substance use disorder and how to support kids who may need to transition to a different home.
The training also connects families to real-world help, including DDAP’s Get Help Now hotline, the state’s Treatment Atlas search tool, county drug and alcohol offices, overdose-reversal medications, and support programs.
The rollout comes as new data shows Pennsylvania’s aggressive investment in overdose prevention is beginning to save lives.
In its annual Overdose Prevention Program report released Wednesday, the Shapiro Administration said frontline groups documented nearly 9,500 overdose reversals between January and September 2025 using naloxone distributed through the state program. Early estimates indicate Pennsylvania recorded its fewest overdose deaths in more than a decade last year.
“DDAP’s Overdose Prevention Program is the foundation of our efforts to having fewer overdose deaths while contributing to stronger public health outcomes statewide,” Davis-Jones said. “We’re seeing progress because the Shapiro Administration is investing in proven life-saving strategies.”
Through nearly 100 statewide partners, the program distributed almost 800,000 doses of naloxone and 737,000 fentanyl and xylazine test strips in 2025 alone. Supplies reached people in treatment centers, libraries, churches, college campuses, fire stations, and through mail-based and mobile outreach, putting the tools directly into the hands of those most likely to witness or experience an overdose.
In Philadelphia, where officials say the city is on track for its lowest overdose death total in nearly a decade, five partner organizations — including the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Prevention Point Philadelphia — are distributing supplies under the state program.
“The Pennsylvania Overdose Prevention Program has strengthened our community outreach and engagement efforts,” said Todd Nickelsberg, a health program administrator with the Philadelphia Single County Authority. “Through consistent access to naloxone and testing strips, we’ve equipped partners with life-saving resources, increased public awareness, and helped prevent fatal overdoses across high-risk areas.”
Despite the overall progress, state health officials warn the crisis is not hitting all communities equally. In 2024, Black Pennsylvanians died from overdoses at twice the rate of white residents, according to the Department of Health.
To confront that gap, DDAP partnered with Philadelphia’s Office of Public Safety and Fire Department to launch Naloxone in Black, placing free naloxone boxes at all 61 city fire stations. Since August, more than 90,000 doses have been stocked in newspaper-style kiosks across the city.
“Substance use has taken the lives of far too many Pennsylvanians,” said Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen. “The Administration’s wide distribution of free naloxone, and fentanyl and xylazine test strips, is an effective public health strategy that is reducing fatal overdoses in the Commonwealth.”
State leaders say the new Family Learning Series is meant to tie all of those efforts together, empowering families with the knowledge to act quickly and confidently when addiction strikes at home.
With overdose deaths finally trending down after years of devastation, Pennsylvania is betting that informed families, armed with training and life-saving tools, can help keep the momentum going — and keep more loved ones alive.
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