Thursday’s event will be from noon to 4 p.m. and Friday’s will be 3-7 p.m.
The events are being put on by the health district, Mental Health Recovery Board, Clark County Substance Abuse Coalition, Clark County Partners in Prevention, Full Circle, Sunrise, McKinley Hall, Mercy REACH and Clark State Community College.
Reaching more people
There will be a variety of community organizations and treatment providers with information, giveaways, chalk art and more. Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
By branding the event for the first time and expanding to two days, it may help reach more people, said Jacob Clark, Clark County Combined Health District health planner.
“Raising awareness helps reduce the stigma. There’s still work to be done and that’s why we’re wanting to do more,” he said.
There will be a “Chalk the Walk” activity allowing people to make sidewalk art commemorating loved ones affected by substance use. Chalk will be provided. There will also be an art memorial display to honor people lost to overdose and there will be free naloxone and naloxone training.
Fatal overdoses declining
Even as fatal overdoses continue to go down, even one is too many, the health district says.
“Sometimes it seems like overdose deaths are put into figures or they are just statistics; but there are people, there are families, that are affected by this every day,” Deputy Health Commissioner Gracie Hemphill said in a media release. “This event is a way to honor those who lost their lives, recognize the hurt the family has gone through and then really motivate the community to take meaningful action steps to address the issue.”
In 2024, Clark County saw 27 recorded drug-related deaths, which is a 48.1% decrease from the 52 in 2023, according to the health district. Six fatal overdoses have been reviewed by the Clark County Overdose Fatality Review through this past March.
“It’s exciting to see those numbers, but even one is too many. There is still work to do and that’s why we’re doing this,” Clark said.
The health district pointed to fentanyl as a “leading driver of the crisis,” being a factor in more than 74% of national overdose deaths.
Reducing bias, breaking down barriers
International Overdose Awareness Day is Saturday. The events and effort aim to “eliminate stigma surrounding addiction and accidental overdose deaths.”
The health district, through a partnership with McKinley Hall, coordinates the One2One harm reduction program, which provides tools to reduce risk of drug use and sexual activities. These include safe syringe disposal, naloxone distribution, access to clean supplies, food distribution, free STD and STI testing and referrals to substance abuse treatment and mental health services.
The county also employs the Get Recovery Options Working (GROW) outreach program and Project DAWN, which distribute naloxone and other harm reduction materials door-to-door in neighborhoods with high overdose incidences.
Even if you don’t know anyone who has such a need, knowledge can help if that should ever occur, Clark said.
“There will be resources and a good way to meet people. You never know when you may have to put that training to use to save a life,” he said.
Treatment providers and information will be available for those in need. Clark also emphasized there will be other attractions like the Clark County Public Library BookMobile.
For more information about the event, call Jacob Clark with the health department at 937-930-5600.
For more information about free naloxone, call McKinley Hall’s Project DAWN coordinator Kelly Binegar at 937-717-1610.
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