evidence: A group of researchers led by Abenaa Jones, assistant professor of human development and family studies and Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor in Health and Human Development at Penn State, examined demographic characteristics of the more than half-million people in the United States who died of an overdose between 2012 and 2021. They used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide‐ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) "Underlying Causes of Death" file and the Census Bureau to identify the region of residence for every white or Black individual who died of overdose. "The opioid overdose story in the U.S. was young, white and rural for a long time," said Joel Segel, associate professor of health policy and administration and co-author of this research. "But the story is changing, especially for older Black adults." [...] "This is a crisis, and much of the nation is not aware of it," Jones said. "Naloxone, known as NARCAN, has reduced deaths among people who use opioids, but if, for example, people who use cocaine do not know they are using opioids — as may be the case when fentanyl is cut into cocaine — then they may not feel the need to carry naloxone. Still, distribution of naloxone to older Black adults might save lives. Free distribution of fentanyl test strips might be another way to save lives. Most importantly, researchers and policy makers need to develop a better understanding of this crisis so that we can reverse the trend and save lives."