Sheriff's Office

For Immediate Release

International Overdose Awareness Day Event in Reno
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office proudly supports the International Overdose Awareness Day event. Please see the press release below for details.

Contact: Britany Wiele
Phone: 775-324-7557

RENO, Nev. (August 26, 2021) –Join Together Northern Nevada (JTNN), in collaboration with numerous community partners, will observe International Overdose Awareness Day with a remembrance walk at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 2^nd in downtown Reno.

Agencies, families, and community members will gather at the Believe Sign in City Plaza and walk to Wingfield Park where they will hear messages of hope from the treatment and recovery communities starting at 5:30 PM. Attendees are invited to bring a photo of a loved one lost to overdose and a pair of shoes to symbolize their absence in the world. Their names will be read aloud at the event and a bell will be rung in their honor. Shoes may be collected by participants after the event or left to be donated to people seeking recovery from a substance use disorder. Attendees are welcome to further activate the space by writing messages of hope, love, and remembrance on the stage of the amphitheater using provided chalk. Narcan packets containing two doses of the opioid overdose reversal drug will be provided for free to attendees.  

International Overdose Awareness Day aims to raise awareness, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, remember those who have died or suffered an overdose, and stimulate discussion about overdose prevention. Centers for Disease Control provisional data shows 93,331 Americans died of an overdose in 2020. 916 of those deaths happened in Nevada.

Event Details: 

WHO: Community agencies and members of the public
WHAT: International Overdose Awareness Day event
WHEN: Thursday, September 2nd at 5:00 PM

WHERE: Believe Sign in City Plaza to Wingfield Park

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To find out more about International Overdose Awareness Day, visit: www.overdoseday.com

Partners

Bristlecone Family Resources, Foundation for Recovery, Join Together Northern Nevada, Northern Nevada HOPES, Quest Counseling and Consulting, Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, Reno Police Department, The Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality, Reno Recovery Alumni, Ridge House, University of Nevada, Reno CASAT, Wake Up Nevada, Washoe County Health District, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, West Hills

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The Washoe County Sheriff's Office is dedicated to preserving a safe and secure community with professionalism, respect, integrity and the highest commitment to equality. Sheriff Darin Balaam is the 27th person elected to serve as the Sheriff of Washoe County since the Office was created in 1861. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office strives to ensure public safety by building trust and creating partnerships within the diverse communities in which we serve. We will promote the dignity of all people supported by our words and actions through open communication while fostering an environment of professionalism, integrity and mutual respect.

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