08/30/2022

Governor announces second Annual Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31 and launches naloxone website

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently announced that Ohio will observe the state’s second annual Overdose Awareness Day on Wednesday, Aug. 31 and begin recognition of September’s Recovery Month. Established in 2021 by Senate Bill 30, Ohio Overdose Awareness Day aims to raise public awareness and remember the lives lost to the ongoing national opioid epidemic.

As part of this year’s observance, RecoveryOhio today announced the creation of Naloxone.Ohio.gov, a new resource that provides Ohioans with a simplified process for obtaining free naloxone, a life-saving drug used to reverse an opioid overdose. The new website makes requesting naloxone as seamless as possible for all Ohioans, whether they are a first responder, community member, or distribution site, and enhances access to prevention and treatment information.

To help local communities promote Overdose Awareness Day, leaders from Governor DeWine’s RecoveryOhio initiative, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) have created an Ohio Overdose Awareness Day Toolkit. The toolkit includes social media graphics and posts, videos, posters, and digital ads that can be used by local communities and organizations to raise awareness. The toolkit also aims to educate Ohioans on what to do in an overdose situation and how to get help for someone struggling with addiction.

In recognition of Overdose Awareness Day, state flags displayed at all state buildings and public institutions will be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset. Read Governor DeWine’s proclamations for Overdose.

OPPA encourages its members to help spread awareness and educate our communities on this Ohio Overdose Awareness Day by sharing this toolkit. Visit RecoveryOhio.Gov for more information, including an ever-growing list of how Ohio plans to observe Ohio Overdose Awareness Day.