By MATT PIKE
Buchanan County and the City of St. Joseph will honor those who are affected by subtance use disorder and remember those lost to overdose during an event in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day.
On Monday, for a 25th year, the Buchanan County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, hosted by the City of St. Joseph Health Department and supported through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Overdose Data to Action contract, will hold the local event at Civic Center Park outside City Hall. The event will be free and open to the public to attend.
Vendor tables will open at 6:30pm and a proclamation will be read at 6:55pm. There will be limited seating available for the event. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair. The evening will conclude just after sunset with the Circle of Hope. The event will focus on remembering those lost to overdose, placing hope in those in recovery and honoring the grief experienced by family members and friends affected by substance use disorder. Anyone who has lost a loved one to overdose are invited to bring a photograph or other memorabilia to display as a tribute.
The event also will provide a chance for individuals to share their experiences and the ways substance use disorders have affected them and their families. Everyone affected by drug overdose will be honored and acknowledged, including overdose survivors. Attendees will have access to resources at vendor tables, including.
- Information about the Buchanan County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention
- Materials about Missouri's 9-1-1 Good Samaritan Law
- Naloxone and instruction on its use
- Information about tuition assistance for the certified peer specialist course
- Information about the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- Information about local treatment and recovery programs and support groups
- Free purple flashlights and materials to create remembrance rocks, while supplies last
The mission of the Buchanan County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention is to use current and relevant prevention and education information, build a community approach to treatment and recovery and reduce the stigma and harm associated with substance use and the disease of addiction.
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