This Thursday, Aug. 31, marks International Overdose Awareness Day. The annual campaign to end overdose is also a time to remember, without stigma, those who have died, and acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 301 people die every day in the United States due to an overdose. In 2022, around 110,500 people lost their lives to overdose, and it has claimed the lives of more than 1,750 Montana residents between 2009 and 2021. In Missoula County, there have been over 110 fatal overdoses since 2016. Many of these fatal overdoses are linked to fentanyl, which is an opioid one hundred times stronger than morphine.
Several events are scheduled in Missoula on International Overdose Awareness Day this Thursday. Events include:
- Overdose reversal and prevention training at the Missoula Public Library, fourth floor, from noon to 1 p.m. Participants will receive free Narcan (Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal spray).
- Lighting of the Main Hall at the University of Montana campus at 8 p.m.
- Tables with Narcan, other overdose prevention supplies and information will be located at Missoula Public Library and the Oval on UM’s Campus during the day on Wednesday Aug. 30 and Thursday Aug. 31.
All events are free and open to the public. Attending an Overdose Awareness Day event is a powerful way to stand together to remember people who have lost their lives to overdose. More information can be found on overdosedaymissoula.org.
Missoula Public Health and Open Aid Alliance will distribute free boxes of Narcan spray that people can pick up anytime. Narcan can be purchased with insurance at any pharmacy without a prescription. Learn more: https://dphhs.mt.gov/amdd/naloxone/. Missoula Public Health’s Substance Use Disorder Prevention Program works to prevent substance use disorder and other potential harms related to the use of substances across the lifespan.