International Overdose Awareness Day: Marion County agencies come together to fight stigma

Combatting the tragedy of overdose, Marion-area agencies came together Wednesday on International Overdose Awareness Day to spread hope and raise awareness of resources in the community.

Gathered in the parking lot of the Marion Naz, friendly faces provided information of their different organization's services, ranging from addiction treatment programs to counseling services.

An annual campaign recognized each year on Aug. 31, International Overdose Awareness Day works to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind.

Overdose numbers in Marion County have been rising in recent years, with 2020 seeing the highest number of overdose-related deaths followed by 2021, according to Marion Police Department Chief Jay McDonald in his Law Day address at the end of April.

Across the state, this data has been consistent on average.

Data from the Ohio Department of Health shows that at 574 deaths, May 2020 had the highest number of unintentional overdose deaths per month ever recorded in Ohio.

Ohio-wide, 5,017 deaths were attributed to unintentional overdose in 2020, and the ODH data from 2021 shows the first half of 2021 had a higher total number of unintentional overdose deaths than the first half of 2020.

Organized by the Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board of Crawford and Marion Counties, the event on the warm, August afternoon seemingly appeared simply a gathering of people doing meaningful work in community.

However, ADAMH Executive Director Brad DeCamp explained the heaviness of the day and the importance of remembering the lives lost to overdose while also working to equip agencies to provide services for those still struggling with addiction.

"It’s an event that really honors those who have passed on by drug overdose, and so it’s a somber event," he said.

"We want to honor the memories of those who’ve lost their lives, but I think on the other hand, we want to do what we can do reduce stigma and come together as a community and acknowledge that we do have an issue and we have to work together to try to fix it."

Some of the organizations gathered together with the ADAMH Board included Pinnacle Treatment Services, BrightView Marion Addiction Treatment Center, Lighthouse Behavioral Health Solutions, OhioGuidestone, Community Counseling & Wellness Centers, First Step Recovery Center, SperoHealth Outpatient Addiction Treatment and Marion Public Health.

Taking note of the community partners in attendance, DeCamp said many of the organizations were ones the ADAMH board has collaborated with frequently, explaining the agencies are always working to expand the services offered to the community.

“We are constantly trying to work together to make sure that we have a pretty good number, we’ve had a lot of growth in the provider network over the past few years, the last three years I would say, and so it’s important for us to coordinate those efforts as much as possible to make sure people get the help they need," he said.

He said an example of this collaboration is the board's push to provide Narcan kits (Naloxone) to the community in partnership with Marion Public Health.

Kim McGary is a nurse at Marion Public Health working with the agency's Narcan program who helps teach Marion County residents to use and administer the lifesaving drug in the event of a drug overdose.

She said that Marion Public Health offers the Narcan kits free of charge to community members as they are funded by a grant from the state, and the team does not discriminate whether an individual grabbing one to have on-hand to use in an emergency or is a user picking one up for him or herself.

"We don’t care what the need is: come in; ask for it; you can come to the window and get it. It’s always free of charge,” McGary said.

McGary explained the access to Narcan kits has been expanding since Project Dawn (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) was started in 2012.

"The push and the initiative was, ‘What can we do for the community? We’ve got a lot of addiction services, and we’ve got a lot of addictions: what can we do? We’re tired of all these deaths. What can we do for the community?’" she said.

"So it was something that was brought about because of that, and here in Marion County, unfortunately, there is that need. The need is here, and it’s great."

Still, there is hope moving forward.

As communities across the country are receiving money from a National Opioid Settlement, DeCamp hopes whatever funds Marion County receives can continue to grow the services offered to residents.

"We’re hoping as we get more information about the opioid settlement, that might be able to help us fill in whatever services might not be here,” he said, gesturing to the collection of agency booths.

Vernajean Eggleston, a clinical supervisor for OhioGuidestone, said she loves her job, because watching her team go above and beyond to help people makes her proud.

She said that she hoped the awareness raised from International Overdose Awareness Day would be able to make a real difference.

“I feel sad that we need it, but if we can give education and be there, and anybody gets anything from this today, it’s worth it,” Eggleston said.

Story by: Sophia Veneziano (740) 564 - 5243 ∣ sveneziano@gannett.com