Southern 7 partners with communities to help end overdose deaths
Local communities in the region served by the Southern 7 Health Department are joining a worldwide observance to remember those who have died or have suffered permanent injury due to a drug overdose.
International Overdose Awareness Day is observed each year on Aug. 31.
The purpose of the observance is to create a better understanding of the impact of a drug overdose, to reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths and to create change that reduces the harm associated with drug use.
Southern 7 Health Department plans to offer free NARCAN training to anyone 13 and older at its Wellness on Wheels van event which is scheduled Wednesday, Aug. 31, in Cairo. The location is at 3811 Sycamore St.
The event is being sponsored by Smoky Hill BBQ. Hours are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Aug. 31 event in Cairo is one of several NARCAN training events which the Southern 7 Health Department had scheduled during August in the region.
NARCAN nasal spray is a prescription medicine which is used for the treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose emergency with signs of breathing problems and severe sleepiness or not being able to respond.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s most recent World Annual Drug Report, nearly half a million people around the world died as a result of drug use in 2019.
In 2020, opioid deaths among Illinois residents increased 33 percent, from 2,219 deaths in 2019 to 2,944 deaths in 2020.
“An overdose can happen to anyone at any age, and most of the time happens at home,” Southern 7 Health Department community outreach coordinator Shawnna Rhine said in a news release. “Many deaths could be avoided if families simply had NARCAN in their first aid kits.”
In 2021, despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, the world united to hold hundreds of International Overdose Awareness Day events of all kinds in at least 37 countries.
People and communities come together annually to raise awareness of one of the world’s most urgent public health crises...one that, unfortunately, is only getting worse, Southern 7 Health Department noted.
Early statistics and anecdotal evidence for the 2021 calendar year show that the situation is becoming ever-more critical, exacerbated in many areas by the pandemic decreasing the tolerance of people who use drugs and disrupting both services and the drug supply chain.
A full list of Southern 7 Health Department NARCAN training events on the Wellness on Wheels van can be found by visiting Southern 7 Health Department on Facebook or by calling 618-634-2297.