Youngstown Overdose Awareness Day event to remember lost, call for better solutions
At the end of August, the Mahoning County community gathers to remember lives lost to overdose and substance use disorder.
OhioCAN Mahoning County also wants to use the gathering to come up with solutions for better health outcomes for people with substance use disorder.
When is International Overdose Awareness Day?
International Overdose Awareness Day is held globally on Aug. 31 to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of overdose and drug-related death.
According to research from the Penington Institute and the National Centre for Health Statistics, opioids account for about 69% of drug overdose deaths.
Over 280 million people used a drug in the past 12 months in 2020, one in every 18 people between the ages of 15 and 64.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in 2021 the United States. It increased by 15 percent from 2020.
Dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl has become easier to get in recent years in the United States and Canada. The same goes for synthetic opioid tramadol in other areas like North Africa, West Africa, the Near and Middle East, and South-West Asia.
Read more about fentanyl in Ohio.
OhioCAN Mahoning County gathering
OhioCAN Mahoning County hosts a local overdose awareness event at 6:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown at 1105 Elm St.
There will be a free walk-up NARCAN training and distribution from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. for the public provided by the county health department.
OhioCAN will also have harm-reduction information and supplies available for free on-site, including Xylazine test strips, Fentanyl test strips, and other medical supplies like diapers, feminine hygiene supplies, and contraceptives.
Rev. Joseph Boyd of the Unitarian Universalist Church is speaking at 7:45 p.m. on harm reduction as a social justice issue, followed by a candlelight vigil and reading of the names of lost loved ones.
Luminaries will be lit and tagged to remember each person lost to overdose in Mahoning County last year.
The vigil is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m.
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This story was originally published August 31, 2023 at 4:00 AM.
