On Monday, Aug. 5, the Olympia City Council signed a proclamation designating August 31, 2024, as International Overdose Awareness Day.
This marks the third consecutive year the council has made this declaration, seeking “to create a better understanding of overdose, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and create change that reduces the harms associated with drug use.”
“We need to continue to treat drug-related harm as a public health issue and invest in best practices that save lives and build communities,” stated the proclamation.
During the council meeting, City Manager Jay Burney provided overdose statistics on the local toll of the crisis. He said that from 2019 to today, the number of Washingtonians lost overdose increased every single year.
An estimated 2,703 Washingtonians were lost to overdose in 2022, a 19% increase over the prior year.
In Olympia, Burney said, the city’s fire department responded to 488 opioid-related encounters, and 199 of those instances administered Naloxone last year.
The Olympia Police Department (OPD) reported 44 drug-related deaths in the city over the past year.
“The common drug combination being fentanyl and methamphetamine,” Burney said, adding the OPD applied the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, also known as Narcan, to 19 different individuals with incidents requiring more than one dose.
In addition, the OPD reported 180 encounters with persons whose underlying issues were substance abuse-related.
According to Burney, the city’s programs, such as Familiar Faces and Crisis Response Unit, are actively working with and supporting community members to help them navigate sobriety and recovery.
“[Olympia] is part of several opioid settlements and will be working county-wide through an opioid abatement council to help get resources directed to curbing opioid addiction and death here in Thurston County,” Burney added.
Katie Strozyk, Thurston County Public Health Opioid Response coordinator, explained that International Overdose Awareness Day, observed on Aug. 31, is a day to remember those who have been lost from a fatal drug overdose.
It is also a day to celebrate those who have responded with Naloxone and reversed an overdose. It is also to recognize those who have survived an overdose of their own and also to reduce stigma around both overdose and drug use in general.
Strozyk provided information on several upcoming Overdose Awareness Day events in Thurston County, including a skate competition at Yelm skate park on Aug. 10, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
On August 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Harbor House will have a pregnant and parenting-focused event.
On August 30, the community will gather at Heritage Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a memorial group walk from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, visit the statewide resource www.stopoverdose.org to obtain naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication, and Recovery Help Line at 1-866-1511 for 24-hour information and help.
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