Author: Charles Frank
Awareness and Health Observances Observances Drug Overdose
Overdose occurs when a person’s body has a severely harmful reaction to taking too much of a drug or a combination of different drugs. Our local “Don’t Count Us Out” campaign provides additional information to help reduce stigma and how to use supportive language and have helpful conversations. To learn more about this year’s campaign and find events near you, visit overdoseday.com. Include our sample content in email or print newsletters or other communications channels, including updates to staff, provider networks, associations, and community-based communications efforts. Trac-b Exchange currently has 5 harm reduction vending machines in Las Vegas.
Naloxone is a life saving medication that can be given to a person during an opiate reversal and will stop the overdose and allow the person to survive until paramedics arrive. Its very important to have naloxone on hand if you or someone you know is at risk of an opiate overdose. Anyone can get trained on how to administer naloxone here at Trac-B Exchange. The education portion takes about 20 minutes to complete and you will leave with naloxone, free of charge. You can also access Naloxone in each one of our 5 vending machines. Recovery Support – These strategies recognize that treatment alone may not be enough to support long-term recovery.
- CDC recently released the 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain.
- We invite you to help share our message that drug overdose is preventable.
- The education portion takes about 20 minutes to complete and you will leave with naloxone, free of charge.
- In either case, the importance of having the means at hand to immediately reverse an opioid overdose is impossible to overstate.
Every August, SAMHSA commemorates Overdose Awareness Week (August 27 to September 2, 2023) and International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31, 2023) to remember the individuals, families, and communities who have all been impacted by overdose. According to the latest provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 110,000 lives were lost to overdose in the 12-months ending in March 2023, with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids as the main drivers of these deaths. Adding to the challenge of rising fentanyl-involved overdoses is the emergence of xylazine, a non-opioid tranquilizer, increasingly mixed with fentanyl in the illicit drug supply. “Overdose Awareness Week is a time to remember those tragically lost to overdose and the pain of the families who are left behind. But it is also an opportunity to recommit ourselves to working together to build safe, healthy, and resilient communities.
What to do in an overdose
Our features highlight prevention, awareness, or screening for different public health topics related to drug overdose in short, user-friendly articles. All of that information on naloxone is essential for people who use opioids either legally or illegally, and it’s equally essential for people with friends or family who use opioids either legally or illegally. In either case, the importance of having the means at hand to immediately reverse an opioid overdose is impossible to overstate. To learn more, visit Stopoverdose.org, and for professionals and the public visit King County’s overdose prevention webpage where you can also find resources on naloxone access. My Administration has worked hard to ensure that substance use disorder is treated like any other disease, funding the expansion of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services. As a part of my Unity Agenda, we passed a law making it easier for doctors to prescribe effective treatments, leading to an unprecedented and historic expansion that finally put help within reach for millions of Americans.
Schedule content to remind your networks about International Overdose Awareness Day. This August, CDC’s Division of Overdose Prevention in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is marking IOAD with the release of a new report, showing counterfeit pill availability is increasing in the U.S. Trac-B Exchange operates the first storefront syringe exchange (needle exchange) in southern Nevada. The operation of this program was made possible by Nevada Senate Bill 410 which became effective in July of 2013. That bill allows Trac-B to provide sterile hypodermic devices to reduce the transmission of disease.
By adopting evidence-based approaches to reducing overdose risks and lowering barriers to treatment and support, we can save more American lives. The report also found that in 2021, people who died from overdoses involving counterfeit pills were more often under the age of 35, and Hispanic, compared to those without counterfeit pill evidence. Those are the risk factors, which means the presence of one or more increase risk of opioid overdose. Now let’s discuss how to recognize an opioid overdose when it’s happening.
You can make an impact by sharing our overdose prevention work and resources with colleagues, partners, and loved ones this International Overdose Awareness Day. We invite you to help share our message that drug overdose is preventable. Help us spread this message on social media with the sample posts in our Partner Toolkit. International Overdose Awareness Day (IODA) is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose. This campaign aims to raise awareness of overdoses and end overdose deaths, reduce stigma around these topics, and acknowledge the worldwide grief felt by friends and families of those lost or left behind.
Getting the overdose victim into the care of treatment professionals is the best way to prevent another overdose. Therefore, we’ll now share the signs of opioid overdose, so that anyone reading this article knows what to look for, and can share this information with anyone who needs it. In 2023, Overdose Awareness Week will occur from August 27th to September 3rd. For the moment, we’ll return to the topic of why we need an international overdose awareness day.
Opioid Overdose Risk Factors
If there’s any uncertainty, it’s best to err on the side of caution, and call 911 immediately. If naloxone is available, administer it immediately – and do not leave the possible overdose victim alone. Click the link in our bio to learn how to stop overdose and save lives.
These vending machines are the first and only of their kind in the United States. Anyone 18+ with some form of ID can come into Trac-B Exchange (6114 West Charleston Blvd, 89146) and sign up for a vending machine card, or at any of the 5 locations. Stated simply, having naloxone on hand can save your life, or the life of someone you love. The last day of August each year is International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD). This year, we encourage everyone to recognize this day with the hashtag #iOAD2023. But we can all do our part by breaking down misconceptions about substance use disorder and recovery.
Awareness and Health Observances
CDC recently released the 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain. CDC developed resources and trainings for healthcare professionals to assist with implementing the guidance in their practices. We continuously develop materials so please check back periodically to see what is new.
Balancing a rewarding career with the ability to have a high-quality lifestyle is important. If you’re interested in a career that allows you to make a difference, check out the state of Michigan career portal for a list of current openings in state government. Use our suggested X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn copy to spread the word.
Now, every American will be able to access this life-saving medication. And our new National Response Plan to address the deadly combination of fentanyl mixed with xylazine coordinates efforts across all of government to confront this dangerous emerging threat. On this International Overdose Awareness Day, join us in remembering those we’ve lost, encouraging substance use disorder support & recovery, and working to end overdose by sharing prevention strategies.
Key Messages
We’ll be in touch with the latest information on how President Biden and his administration are working for the American people, as well as ways you can get involved and help our country build back better. Use #IOAD2023 and #EndOverdose to join the conversation and tag us at @CDCInjury on X (Twitter)!
International Overdose Awareness Day
Despite the demonstrated benefits of recovery support services — such as peer supports, employment and housing services — various challenges impede their availability and uptake. Enhancing coverage and integration of recovery support services is critical to promoting access to and use of these services. Strengthening the recovery support services workforce also is essential to promoting access and quality. Prevention and treatment of drug overdoses improve when we raise our voices as one.