Statewide Community Overdose Engagement (CODE) Summit Brings Together Municipal Leaders and Local Organizations to Discuss Overdose Prevention and Response
Published on Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Cranston, Rhode Island - With substance use and drug overdose remaining a key concern in the Ocean State, more than 300 people from throughout Rhode Island gathered at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick on Wednesday to participate in the 2025 statewide Community Overdose Engagement (CODE) Summit.
First convened in 2017, CODE Summits are designed to bring together Rhode Island stakeholders invested in ending the local overdose crisis. The event offers an opportunity for state and municipal leaders, community partners, healthcare professionals, first responders, treatment and recovery specialists, faith leaders, and others to learn about current strategies, data-driven overdose prevention efforts and peer workforce development. It also allows for interaction with people from all across Rhode Island who are working to prevent overdose and save lives.
This year’s CODE Summit was hosted by Governor Dan McKee’s Overdose Task Force, a statewide coalition of professionals and community members with the shared goal of preventing overdoses and saving lives, in partnership with the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals (BHDDH) and the Department of Health (RIDOH).
After a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CODE Summit was brought back in person as a forum for stakeholders to learn about current data surrounding the overdose crisis and substance use in Rhode Island and ways to utilize it to spur action and enhance prevention efforts. Workshops also included an updated look at the Overdose Task Force’s Strategic Plan, and presentations on strategies to break stigma and address workforce challenges surrounding drug and alcohol use. A resource fair was also available to attendees with over 30 community partners tabling at this event.
Preliminary data showed that Rhode Island saw an 11% decrease in drug overdose fatalities during the first quarter of 2024, compared to the first quarter of 2023. This continues the momentum Rhode Island saw in 2023, when the percentage of drug overdose deaths decreased by 7.3%. However, State and local officials agree that more work is needed to prevent overdoses and save lives.
"While we are pleased to see that fatal overdose rates have started to decline in Rhode Island and nationally, overdose and substance use of drugs and alcohol continue to affect far too many lives. As such, it’s critical that we focus on prevention and recovery efforts both at the state and local level," said Ana Novais, assistant secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and a key speaker at the event.
Other featured speakers also included, Carlene Fonseca, community co-chair of the Overdose Task Force Racial Equity Work Group, a partner with the Pawtucket/Central Falls Health Equity Zone, and founder of The Greatest You Consulting; Dr. Alexander Walley, a professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine; Sarah Harlow, MA, PS-C; New England PTTC Co-Director, and Susan Pomerleau, PPA; New England PTTC Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, Inc.; and Cathy Schultz, Director of the Governor’s Overdose Task Force.
"By collaborating with municipal leaders, harm reduction workers, behavioral health specialists and first responders from our various cities and towns, we can discover the most effective data-informed strategies to save and improve people’s lives,” said Cathy Schultz, Director of the Governor’s Overdose Task Force.
“The CODE Summit brings people together from the state and local level and allows us to share information about what is working, how we can improve, and how the challenges are evolving,” said Rich Leclerc, Director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals (BHDDH). This sharing of information is critical as we work to save lives and align our prevention and recovery efforts.”
“Collaboration is at the heart of Rhode Island’s response to the overdose crisis,” said Dr. Jerry Larkin, Director of the Department of Health. “This Summit represents an invaluable opportunity for community leaders, treatment and recovery specialists, healthcare professionals, and many others to share resources, learn about new prevention strategies, and build community together.”
The CODE Summit Initiative began eight years ago with a call to action for Rhode Island’s cities and towns to develop comprehensive overdose prevention plans. The goal was to help communities create data-driven initiatives that would respond to their specific resources, strengths and challenges.
This year, the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS) is accepting applications for up to a total of $500,000 in grants to incentivize municipalities to increase transparency, coordination, and alignment with the State’s Overdose Strategic Plan. The grant funding aims to improve coordination, transparency and enhance support initiatives, programs, and services directly related to addressing the impacts of the opioid crisis and supporting individuals and families impacted by the crisis. Eligible municipalities are encouraged to apply.
A dedicated CODE Summit 2025 webpage is available on PreventOverdoseRI.org and will include the Summit's presentations, audio recording, and video.