National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™, established in 2022 by Facing Fentanyl™, is recognized each year on August 21. The day is dedicated to remembering the lives lost to fentanyl overdoses, supporting the families left behind, and mobilizing communities to act against the deadliest drug crisis in U.S. history. Behind every statistic is a child, sibling, parent, or friend who is deeply missed.
This year’s theme emphasizes hope and mental health, highlighting the importance of breaking stigma, supporting recovery, and ensuring that lifesaving information reaches the people who need it most. At Healthy Connections, with clinics in Hot Springs, Mena, Malvern, Arkadelphia, and across Western and Central Arkansas, we stand with families, communities, and public health leaders in the fight to Educate, Act, and Prevent.
Fentanyl: The Leading Cause of Overdose Deaths in the U.S.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Just two milligrams—about the size of a few grains of salt—can be deadly. Most fentanyl found today is illegally made, cheap to produce, and often mixed into counterfeit pills or other drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or even stimulants. These pills and powders often look identical to real medications, making them especially dangerous for teens and young adults.
According to CDC data released August 2025:
- An estimated 77,648 Americans died of overdose in the year ending March 2025, nearly 92% linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
- While overdose deaths have decreased 25% compared to the year before, fentanyl remains the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S.
- From 2013 to 2023, fentanyl deaths rose sharply, only beginning to decline in recent years thanks to public awareness, expanded access to naloxone, and prevention efforts.
Honoring Lives, Supporting Families
The DEA’s Faces of Fentanyl Memorial Exhibit now includes more than 6,400 photos of Americans who died from fentanyl poisoning, with an average of 150 new families submitting photos each month. Each face is a reminder that these are not numbers—they are lives full of promise, families with empty seats at the table, and communities forever changed.
Here in Arkansas, counties such as Garland, Polk, and Hot Spring have seen firsthand the devastation fentanyl causes. At Healthy Connections, we echo the CDC’s call: reducing stigma, promoting recovery, and educating communities are essential to saving lives.
What You Can Do: Prevention Saves Lives
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day is not only about remembrance—it is about action. Every Arkansan can play a part:
- Never take pills that don’t come from a licensed pharmacy. Counterfeit pills may contain lethal doses of fentanyl, even if they look legitimate.
- Keep naloxone (Narcan) on hand. Naloxone is available without a prescription in most states, including Arkansas. It can reverse an opioid overdose if given in time.
- Use fentanyl test strips (FTS). While no test is 100% accurate, FTS can detect the presence of fentanyl in drugs and allow people to take steps to reduce overdose risk.
- Avoid mixing drugs. Combining opioids with alcohol, stimulants, or benzodiazepines increases the risk of overdose and death.
- Talk about it. Break the silence. Honest conversations with family, friends, and teens can save lives.
Healthy Connections: A Partner in Hope and Recovery
At Healthy Connections, we do more than raise awareness—we provide real solutions. Our team of doctors, nurse practitioners, behavioral health therapists, and addiction specialists work together to deliver comprehensive, compassionate care.
Our services include:
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): Buprenorphine and other FDA-approved medications combined with behavioral therapy.
- Behavioral Health Services through Evolve: Counseling, peer support, and treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions.
- Naloxone Access and Training: Guidance on how families can obtain and use naloxone to save a life.
- Community Education Programs: Prevention outreach in schools, churches, and civic organizations.
Whether you visit us in Hot Springs, Mena, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Russellville, or Sheridan, you’ll find a team ready to walk alongside you.
Call to Action: You’re Not Alone
On this National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, we remember those we’ve lost and commit to protecting those still at risk. Healthy Connections has been serving Arkansas for more than 25 years, grounded in our philosophy of Community, Compassion, and Excellence.
You’re Not Alone. If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use, we are here to help.
- Call 888.710.8220
- Find a clinic near you for same-day or next-day appointments
Together, we can educate, act, and prevent—because every action matters, every life is worth saving, and every community deserves hope.