Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. In July 2019, the CDC released preliminary estimates that showed, for the first time since 1990, a decline in fatal drug poisonings (overdose deaths) in the United States—by approximately 5 percent from 2017 to 2018. This decline is borne out in Indiana and Marion County as well. In Indiana, data from the CDC and provisional data from the Indiana State Department of Health show a decline of more than 10%. Marion County, which has the highest fatal drug poisoning count in the state, saw a similar decline, according to data from the IU Public Policy […]

Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death nationwide. In Indiana, which has among the highest smoking rates in the U.S., an estimated 11,000 people die each year from smoking. While smoking-related illnesses generally occur in older ages, smoking starts much earlier. When kids turn 18—or their friends turn 18—and they have access to cigarettes, it’s easy to start and get hooked. It’s unsurprising then that nearly 90 percent of current adult smokers first started the habit before they turned 19. One solution that’s being tested in more than 270 cities and counties in 18 […]