International Overdose Awareness Day

International Overdose Awareness Day – August 31st – Held every year in August, International Overdose Awareness Day was initiated to raise awareness of the fact that drug overdoses are preventable. Another goal of this day is to reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths while acknowledging the grief felt by families and friends of overdose victims. According to the CDC, there were over 100,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021 as the destabilizing effects of COVID-19 led to a 12% increase in fatalities as compared to 2020.

Please join me in extending a very special thank you to our Outpatient Substance Use Program Staff, under the leadership of Elizabeth Sandusky, Manager of Chemical Dependency, for their determined and compassionate efforts in providing early treatment to reduce the number of overdose deaths in our community.