What is DAWN?

Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a nationwide public health surveillance system administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ). DAWN captures data on emergency department (ED) visits related to recent substance use directly from the electronic health records of participating hospitals. SAMHSA administered DAWN from 1992 through 2011 (legacy DAWN) and re-established the current DAWN in 2018.