09/24/2026
Vinny’s Voice Advocacy Project was named after my friend Vinny, who died from a fatal fentanyl overdose on September 23.
Vinny was more than the way he died.
He was a friend. He was someone people talked to, leaned on, laughed with, shared things with, and loved.
Vinny’s Voice was created because people like Vinny deserve to be remembered as people, not reduced to a statistic. It was also created because people who are still struggling with substance use disorder deserve to be treated like people too.
They deserve a voice.
And when they are not ready to speak for themselves, when they are afraid, when they feel ignored, or when they do not know where to turn, they deserve to have someone willing to advocate for them.
That can mean food, clothing, hygiene products, basic necessities, Narcan, drug-testing supplies, treatment resources, recovery resources, information, support, and when someone is ready, a way out.
That is what Vinny’s Voice was founded on.
Today is the anniversary of Vinny’s death, and that makes today an especially important day to talk about overdose awareness.
Because overdose statistics are not just numbers.
Every number represents a person.
Every number represents a family.
Every number represents friends who still remember them.
Every number represents a life that mattered before addiction or overdose ever became part of their story.
In 2024, 3,341 people died from drug overdoses in Pennsylvania.
More than 76% of those deaths involved opioids.
67% involved fentanyl.
And more than 41% involved both an opioid and a stimulant.
That means the overdose crisis is still here, and it is changing.
In 2024, approximately 1 out of every 41 deaths in Pennsylvania was caused by a drug overdose.
Here in Fayette County, 38 people died from drug overdoses in 2024.
That means approximately 1 out of every 46 deaths in Fayette County was an overdose death.
In 2025, the numbers began to decline, and that is progress.
Provisional data show approximately 2,870 overdose deaths statewide, including 1,861 opioid-involved deaths.
That still means more than 5 people every day were dying from opioid-involved overdoses in Pennsylvania.
And approximately 1 out of every 48 deaths statewide was still caused by a drug overdose.
Lower numbers matter.
Every life saved matters.
But lower does not mean over.
We still do not have complete 2026 overdose death totals yet, but we already know people are still overdosing, still being revived, and still needing help.
That is why this work still matters.
We need Narcan in our communities.
We need drug-testing supplies.
We need harm reduction.
We need accessible treatment.
We need recovery resources.
We need outreach, education, and advocacy.
And we need to keep fighting the stigma that tells people with substance use disorder that their lives somehow matter less.
They do not.
They are somebody’s child.
Somebody’s parent.
Somebody’s sibling.
Somebody’s friend.
Somebody they love.
Today, we remember Vinny.
And we remember every person whose name sits behind one of these statistics.
For the people we have lost.
For the people still fighting.
For the people who are not ready yet.
And for every person we still have the chance to reach.
Vinny’s Voice Advocacy Project
Because every number has a name.
Sources: Pennsylvania Department of Health; Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs; CDC/NCHS. 2025 data are provisional.
