About National Prevention Week

NPW National Prevention Week Save The Date May 7-13 2023

National Prevention Week promotes the world we want to see—where prevention helps keep people and communities healthy and safe.

four friends taking a selfie together, smiling at the camera

Purpose of National Prevention Week

Each Year, Our Work Includes:

  • Involving communities in raising awareness of substance misuse and mental health issues, implementing prevention strategies, and showcasing the effectiveness of evidence-based prevention programs.
  • Fostering partnerships and collaborations with federal agencies and national organizations dedicated to improving public health.
  • Promoting and disseminating quality substance use prevention and mental health promotion resources and publications.

Resource Sharing, Community Envolvement, and Partner engagement are all parts of national prevention week

A New Approach to National Prevention Week

In January 2023, SAMHSA launched a refreshed National Prevention Week brand that includes an updated logo design and a new tagline. While the team revaluated the goals and objectives of National Prevention Week to create the new brand, there was also an opportunity to reframe the approach to National Prevention Week.

We recognize that important prevention work happens every day, not just during the second week of May. The new approach to National Prevention Week will celebrate and promote these year-round initiatives and the possibilities prevention brings. Previously, organizations like yours would “do something,” like host an event or engage with SAMHSA & your community, during this week. Moving forward, we envision National Prevention Week as a week-long celebration where SAMHSA will showcase your events and activities that take place throughout the year and provide a platform for the community to come together to learn from each other and highlight promising approaches and best practices in prevention.

This year, we are moving away from using the pre-determined daily themes, as we know that it may be difficult to execute specific topic-related activities for each day. Instead, we have provided some examples of prevention-related themes that you can pick and choose from to ensure your National Prevention Week celebration is topical and relevant to your communities’ needs!

Sample Themes

  • Substance Misuse Prevention
    • Prescription Drug and Opioid Misuse
    • Underage Drinking and Alcohol Misuse
    • Illicit Drug Use and Youth Marijuana Misuse
    • Youth Tobacco Use (E-Cigarettes and Vaping)
  • Overdose Prevention
  • Promoting Mental Health and Wellness
  • Suicide Prevention
  • Enhancing the Prevention Workforce
  • Highlighting Prevention Efforts in Your Community
  • Celebrating Prevention Heroes in Your Community

We Want to Hear from You

Our goal for the new approach is to facilitate deeper and more meaningful relationships with prevention organizations. In the past, outreach to organizations has mainly taken place from January to May with little engagement throughout the rest of the year. Additionally, National Prevention Week Materials were developed and distributed without the opportunity to get proper feedback.

Our new approach encourages steady engagement, year-round, which allows for building deeper relationships and collecting stories to showcase. This means that you can expect more National Prevention Week activities, promotion, and resources throughout the whole year – not just in May!

Most importantly, we want to hear from you. We are building in time, leading up to National Prevention Week and throughout the year, for proper partner feedback so that we can ensure our efforts are going where they are most needed and appreciated from the prevention community we are serving.

Your feedback and input will help guide future National Prevention Weeks. From weekly activities to planning toolkits, we want to know what works for you so that National Prevention Week can best serve prevention organizations. We encourage you to reach out to david.wilson@samhsa.hhs.gov with your thoughts on how we can continue to improve National Prevention Week.

Who We Serve

If you are working to raise awareness about the importance of substance misuse prevention and positive mental health in your community, let us know.

National Prevention Week is about uniting SAMHSA with dedicated individuals, communities, and organizations planning prevention initiatives and using our platform to showcase this ongoing work. We are stronger when we work together and are always looking for opportunities to partner with those on the frontlines of prevention to see where we can elevate future efforts.

Our Why

SAMHSA is continuously working to improve the prevention landscape. Shifting the National Prevention Week approach will better support our partners in prevention by providing evidence-based and accessible resources to facilitate collective action. We know that prevention happens year-round, and we want to highlight your efforts during National Prevention Week. By showcasing your work throughout the prevention field, we can confront the societal challenges surrounding substance misuse together while celebrating stories of prevention.

Our new National Prevention Week tagline, “A Celebration of Possibility,” is about communities coming together to celebrate the possibilities and brighter futures that exist thanks to the ongoing work of prevention happening across the country.

Last Updated: 03/02/2023