International Overdose Awareness Day
Time to Remember. Time to Act.
International Overdose Awareness Day is August 31st. This day aims to raise awareness of overdose and to acknowledge the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have been lost to substance use disorders. The worsening opioid overdose epidemic is felt even more acutely in Baltimore. In 2015, 393 people lost their lives due to an overdose. Over 90% of these overdose deaths were attributed to
heroin and prescription drugs.Overdose Day spreads the message that the tragedy of overdose death is preventable.
Overdoses deaths attributed to opioids can be averted when people are prepared to respond with naloxone, the lifesaving drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. BHSB works to prepare individuals across
the city to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose through our naloxone street outreach program. This program provides overdose education and naloxone training in "hot spot" communities known for drug activity and overdose deaths. BHSB has trained over 6,000 people and distributed over 5,300 naloxone kits since 2015. Our local partners including the Baltimore City Health Department, Health Care for the Homeless, and Baltimore Student Harm Reduction Coalition also provide trainings throughout the community.
To find out more about BHSB's overdose response efforts and the nearest naloxone training to you please email Natanya Robinowitz, Harm Reduction Manager.
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Behavioral Health Providers Can Prevent Overdose
BHSB encourages behavioral health providers to implement overdose education and naloxone distribution at their programs. We developed a naloxone toolkit for providers, which provides information about naloxone, how to prescribe and bill for it, and strategies for talking to patients about overdose. Read more about the toolkit and other resources for preventing overdose deaths here.
BHSB can offer support to community providers incorporating overdose prevention into their program. Please contact Natanya Robinowitz, Harm Reduction Manager, for more information
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The Surgeon Genral's Call to End the Opioid crisis
As part of his Turn the Tide opioid campaign, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has launched TurnTheTideRx.org. As the digital home of the campaign, the site offers clinicians practical tools, information, and in-the-trenches stories from colleagues offering their insights into the epidemic.
As a show of commitment, Dr. Murthy is urging all of us to join the movement and take the clinician pledge at TurnTheTideRx.org/join. We also urge you to spread the news. We hope you will join the movement and be a part of the solution.
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Upcoming Events
International Overdose Awareness Day Events
August 31, 2016
Events hosted throughout the City
Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) is planning a series of activities to raise awareness about International Overdose Awareness Day. Throughout the day, BCHD, BHSB, and partners will conduct overdose education and naloxone trainings across the city. The day will conclude with a commemorative event to honor the 393 lives lost in Baltimore City due to overdose in 2015 at Druid Hill Park beginning at 7 pm near the Sundial Pavilion. For more information or to volunteer please email Mark O'Brien, Director of Opioid Overdose Prevention and Treatment.
Baltimore's 10th Annual Recovery Run, Walk & Rally
September 10, 2016
Carroll Park at Washington Blvd. and Monroe St.
Join us for this free event which helps to kick off National Recovery Month this September and celebrates the Baltimore Recovery Community and their families. The event offers food, fun, fellowship, DJ, Recovery Idol Finals & more. For further information please contact Monica Scott, Chair of the Recovery Walk Steering Committee, at (443) 722-8803 or visit BHSB's website by clicking here.
American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) 2016 Conference
October 29-November 2
Registration is open to attend the 2016 AATOD Conference, which is October 29- November 2 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel. Registration is now open and people are encouraged to sign up. For more information on how to register click here.
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