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IOAD

Published:
August 16, 2019

Taking pain medication? Ask your doctor about overdose.International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held on 31 August each year. Its purpose is to raise awareness of overdoses, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths and acknowledge the grief felt by families and friends.

What can you do? From the National Safety Council

  • Hold a candlelight vigil
  • Offer an educational program, such as one related to preventing opioid use, in partnership with a local organization
  • Provide a safe space for telling the stories of overdose victims
  • Offer a large canvas and washable paint so survivors can add a handprint in memory of their loved one
  • Display empty hats or shoes to represent the number of lives lost in the community
  • Use the NSC Community Action Kit as a planning guide
  • Become a Safety Ambassador by hosting a community fundraising event
  • Access the NSC Facebook page to get a purple frame (available Aug. 20) for your Facebook profile image
  • Share the NSC Facebook Live virtual candlelight vigil on Aug. 30
  • Add the name of a loved one who died of an opioid overdose to the Celebrating Lost Loved Ones map
  • Purchase or create purple wristbands, pins, shirts or other items and wear them on Aug. 31
  • Research state and federal legislation that addresses opioid overdose prevention, and write to your representative
  • Support NSC efforts to end the opioid epidemic by making a gift in honor of a loved one
IOAD
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