Nebraska Drug Overdose Awareness Week Aug. 28 - Sept. 3

(KFOR NEWS August 23, 2022) Nebraska Drug Overdose Awareness Week is August 28th-September 3, 2022.

Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2021, an increase of nearly 15% from the 93,655 deaths estimated in 2020. The 2021 increase was half of what it was a year ago, when overdose deaths rose 30% from 2019 to 2020.

Stop Overdose Nebraska works in conjunction with the Statewide Narcan Program, which allows anyone who is a Nebraska resident to obtain lifesaving Narcan at no cost at a participating pharmacy, without a prescription or insurance. Narcan can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, including drugs laced with fentanyl.

“We can all be part of the solution by helping to reduce stigma, supporting programs in our communities, and helping to spread awareness about overdose. August 31st was established as International Drug Overdose Awareness Day to increase public knowledge about the severity of drug overdose, and the Nebraska Drug Overdose Awareness Week is aimed at letting people know how they can help and to remember those that have been lost to drug overdose,” said Amy Holman, Project Coordinator for the Nebraska Pharmacists Association.

The award-winning documentary, Tipping The Pain Scale, will be shown at the Grand Cinema in downtown Lincoln on August 31, 2022, at 7:30 p.m., which is International Overdose Awareness Day. It addresses the addiction crisis in America.

You can purchase tickets at https://gathr.us/screening/32089.