The youth overdose/opioid task force in Memphis: a community case study

Introduction Drug overdose affects adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in the United States and in 2020 became the third most common cause of death in youth under 20. Despite a modest decline since peaking in 2021, the rate of overdose fatality implicated by illicitly manufactured fentanyl among 10–24-year-olds was still 124 times higher in 2023 than 1999. Addressing youth overdose risk in this context requires coordinated, community-level responses. Community context Tennessee ranked third in the US in all-age overdose mortality in 2023; opioid overdose rates of Tennesseans under 25 remain elevated. Shelby County, where Memphis sits, carries a disproportionate state burden of overdose deaths. Between 2017 and 2022, all-age overdose mortality tripled in Shelby County. Key programmatic elements The Youth Overdose/Opioid Task Force (YOOT) was founded in 2024 in the absence of a local organization or coalition focused on youth substance use or youth overdose to support relationship building leading to research, programmatic, and educational outputs focused on local youth overdose and its underlying root causes. YOOT is comprised of clinicians, educators, students and behavioral health professionals from many organizations and backgrounds including youth aged 12–24 and individuals with lived experience with substance use and overdose. Between January 2024 and February 2026, 102 individuals attended at least one quarterly meeting, and many have engaged in research and service collaborations between meetings. Quarterly meetings are open to the public, include dinner, allow the presence of younger children, and are held in a centralized, public space with free parking. Coalition activities have included identification of priority root causes of youth overdose, formation of thematic subcommittees, development of educational materials and community programming, submission of research abstracts and grant applications, and initiation of research projects including one youth participatory action research project. These activities reflect early infrastructure development and cross-sector engagement outputs. Discussion This community case study demonstrates the feasibility of establishing a youth-centered, cross-sector coalition in a high-burden overdose context. The YOOT model provides a framework for building locally-grounded infrastructure integrating youth voices, lived experience, and mutual learning through community expertise as a foundation to address adolescent and young adult overdose risk across sectors.