Overview
Good health is important to everyone. Pew conducts research and provides information and fact-based recommendations to state agencies, hospitals, researchers, and other health partners to help them provide better care. We find and share evidence-based practices to improve Americans’ health and well-being, including services that can prevent suicide, improve mental health care, and treat substance use disorder.
We also have a long-standing commitment to encouraging early-career scientists who are pursuing innovative approaches to lifesaving biomedical research.
When public health agencies lack access to clinical data, illnesses spread undetected, the health system becomes overburdened, and health care costs, illnesses, and deaths rise. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate shortcomings in the collection of public health data and their ramifications.
Suicide is a complex public health issue that affects millions of Americans every year. The U.S. suicide rate rose by 30% from 2000 to 2020, with disproportionately large increases among young adults, veterans, and certain racial and ethnic groups.
Most states collect and report core opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment measures that can improve OUD treatment systems through data-driven decision-making. However, many states have yet to act on this data. A look at how some states have taken the lead on using this data to inform their opioid treatment policies and programs can aid other states in implementing core OUD treatment measures that can help curb the opioid crisis.
Each year, suicide and drug- and alcohol-related deaths account for more than 200,000 lives lost and hundreds of billions of dollars in medical, economic, and societal costs. Multiple studies show that, compared with the general population, people who use alcohol or drugs, or have substance use disorders (SUD), are at increased risk of dying by suicide.
Alcohol is the leading driver of substance use-related fatalities in America: Each year, frequent or excessive drinking causes approximately 178,000 deaths. Excessive alcohol use is common in the United States among people who drink: In 2022, of the 137 million Americans who reported drinking in the last 30 days, 45% reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in a sitting for men; four for women).
Our Work
Good health is important to everyone. Pew conducts research and provides information and fact-based recommendations to state agencies, hospitals, researchers, and other health partners to help them provide better care. We find and share evidence-based practices to improve Americans’ health and well-being, including services that can prevent suicide, improve mental health care, and treat substance use disorder.
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Communities throughout the country share common needs: affordable connections to broadband Internet, modern and reliable energy infrastructure, effective responses to mental health challenges, and ways to resolve legal disputes more quickly and fairly. To address these issues, Pew collaborates with states and local governments to find and promote evidence-based solutions that help provide stability and opportunity.
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Nonpartisan, fact-based improvements in federal policy can create jobs, lower costs, and help the nation prepare for the future. When our research shows that small changes can have a big impact, we work across party lines to improve national challenges like housing affordability, internet access, energy reliability, and health care.
Latest In Improve Federal Policy
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Economic opportunity is the foundation of American society. Pew supports national, state, and local efforts to expand opportunity and promote financial well-being. Our work helps people pay off student loans, navigate court proceedings such as debt collection, buy or rent a home, access affordable internet, and save for their retirement.
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States and cities are the “laboratories of democracy” in America—the places where lawmakers and governors look for new ways to help their communities succeed. Whether in Pew’s hometown of Philadelphia or any of the 50 state capitals, we help elected leaders respond to the needs of their citizens, use public dollars wisely, fix outdated policies, and build a better future for all.
Latest In Strengthen State Government
Conserving natural spaces conveys benefits far beyond the gains to wildlife and their habitats. As scores of studies show, protecting and restoring lands and waters, particularly when done in close partnership with local communities, also improves people’s lives—and local economies—by increasing tourism and outdoor recreation.