Thurston County proclaims Aug. 31 Overdose Awareness Day

The Thurston County Board of Supervisors joined Lacey and Olympia City Councils in declaring August 31 as International Overdose Awareness Day in the county.

According to a press release from the county, “The day encourages effort to support overdose prevention policies and projects. In June 2018, the Thurston County Board of Health declared a public health crisis in our county, acknowledging the harm and hardship caused by drug overdose.” An Opioid Task Force (OTF) and Opioid Response Plan ensued, both board implementations. The goal is to develop prevention initiatives through community endeavors.

Opioid Response Coordinator Katie Strozyk spoke at the proclamation on Aug. 20, providing an update on the OTF’s efforts and upcoming events.

The county held an Overdose Awareness Day Resource Fair today (Aug. 30) at Heritage Park. According to the county’s website, the event’s purposes included the following.

• “Remember those who have been lost to fatal drug overdose.
• “Celebrate those who have been rescued from or assisted in rescuing someone from .an overdose.
• “Help reduce the stigma of overdose and drug use.
• “Share the day with numerous organizations who have various resources available.”

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services provided naloxone (Narcan) along with training for administering it in a case of opioid-related overdose. For more information about obtaining opioid overdose education and naloxone rescue training, visit the Opioid Response web page.

The fair also included over two dozen agencies with tables, providing “information regarding how to access medications for Opioid Use Disorder, the importance of safe storage for medication, where [to] dispose of unwanted medication, and more,” the press release explained.

More overdose resources:

• To obtain naloxone, go to stopoverdose.org.
• 24-hour Recovery Help Line: call 1-866-789-1511.
• Watch the board’s proclamation on the Thurston County YouTube channel.