According to the Indiana State Department of Health, between 2016 and 2023, 39 Brown County residents lost their lives to unintentional drug overdoses.
On Saturday, Aug. 31, the Brown County Recovery and Wellness Coalition hosted the second annual International Overdose Awareness Day event in Nashville.
Overdose Awareness Day is the largest global campaign to end overdose deaths, remember those who have been lost and acknowledge those left behind. The goals of Overdose Awareness Day are to:
· Provide an opportunity for people to publicly mourn loved ones.
· Tell people who use drugs and people in recovery that they are valued.
· Inform people around the world about the risk of drug overdose.
· Provide basic information on the range of support services that are available.
· Prevent and reduce drug-related harms by supporting evidence-based practice.
According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 100,000 people died in the United States in 2022 from unintentional drug overdose. Between 2016 and 2023, 39 Brown County residents lost their lives to unintentional drug overdoses (Indiana State Department of Health).
In addition to the Recovery and Wellness Coalition, organizations represented included: Centerstone, the Brown County Health Department, and county and regional treatment and service organizations.
Attendees were able receive free copies of the BCRAWC Treatment Guide, learn how to use the overdose reversal medication Naloxone and obtain free Naloxone kits. Mental health providers discussed myths around substance abuse disorder. People in recovery shared their stories, and service organizations provided information on treatment and support options. Recovery and Wellness Coalition Coordinator Leyla Davis led a community conversation around ways to continue
to support individuals, envision a stronger community and take personal action to achieve these goals.
The meeting closed with a candlelight vigil led by Kira Hoskins who shared why the day was bittersweet for her. “My cousin, Sarah Shalea Harris, was with me at this event last year. We both have lost loved ones to overdose. Now this year she is gone. We lost her on March 14 of this year. It just goes to show the severity of the issue and how quickly something tragic can happen — and to anyone.”
Leyla Davis spoke with Kira Hoskins and shared tears of anger, frustration, pain. “It’s powerful to take a moment in unity with everyone and speak out our loved one’s names. I lost my brother, Gabriel Davis, to overdose in 2006. He was only 22. I do this for him and so many others. And for myself. Overdose is so preventable. That’s our message today.”
