All are encouraged to attend a free overdose prevention workshop in Eau Claire and other activities to honor International Overdose Awareness Day this week.
Observed on August 31 each year, Overdose Awareness Day encourages us all to understand overdose, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and reduce the harms associated with drug use.
You can help prevent fatal overdoses by getting trained to administer Narcan, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. This Thursday, August 28, all are invited to a free, 90-minute community workshop where you’ll learn about opioids, how to respond to an overdose, how to safely store opioid medication, and how to use the overdose reversal medication Narcan.
More details about the workshop:
- When: Thursday, August 28, 5:30 to 7 pm
- Where: L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (Riverview Room), 400 Eau Claire St.
- Who: All are welcome
- Cost: Free
- More information: Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and medication lock boxes/bags will be available to take home at no cost. Snacks and beverages provided.
- To register: Click here or visit ECHealthAlliance.org/news. Registration is encouraged by this Wednesday, August 27, but walk-ins are welcome.
“In addition to honoring and remembering the loved ones we’ve lost, we stand together to say that more needs to be done to end overdose in our community,” says Sarah Dillivan-Pospisil, public health specialist at the Health Department. “Learning how to prevent overdoses by safely storing and disposing of medications and learning how to use tools like Narcan is a meaningful way to honor those who are deeply impacted by overdose.”
Fentanyl-related overdose is now the top cause of death in Wisconsin residents ages 25 to 54, a recent study found. Between 2018-2024, Eau Claire County lost 125 residents to a drug overdose, 87 of which were related to opioids.
Overdose Awareness Day is Sunday, August 31. Here are some other ways you can honor the Eau Claire County residents that have lost their lives due to an overdose, as well as their loved ones:
- Visit the purple flag display in front of the Eau Claire County Government Center (710 2nd Ave., Eau Claire). 125 purple flags have been placed near the Eau Claire County Jail and Health Department entrances. Each flag represents one of the 125 Eau Claire County residents who lost their lives to an overdose between 2018 and 2024.
- Access free Narcan and fentanyl test strips from the harm reduction vending machine, located in the lobby of the Eau Claire County Jail (710 2nd Ave., Eau Claire). Anyone can use the vending machine at any time of day, no questions asked. Read more here.
- Learn about the CRAFT program, which supports family members and friends concerned about their loved one’s substance use, by clicking here.
- The Eau Claire County Deflection Program connects community members to free, confidential peer support services. If you are someone you know is struggling with substance use, you can make a referralhere.
- Safely dispose of your unused or expired medications by bringing them to one of the many permanent medication drop-off locations in our county.
- Use a lockbox, lock bag, or locked drawer and hide the key to keep opioid medication safe and out of sight.
- Find local treatment resources in the Chippewa Valley by clicking here.
