Baptist Memorial Health Care’s Center of Excellence in Addiction Medicine and the nonprofit coalition Tipton Prevents hosted an event on Friday, Aug. 30 for families of overdose victims in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.
The event, which took place in front of the Tipton County Courthouse, highlighted local resources aimed at reducing the disparaging stigma associated with drug-related deaths. Purple ribbons adorned 26 empty chairs, each one representing a person who died from an overdose in Tipton County this year.
Sierra Butler, project manager for Baptist Center of Excellence in Addiction Medicine, said, “The event was a chance for us to honor lives lost to overdose while spreading awareness and hope for the future. We were grateful for the opportunity to participate and look forward to continuing to unite our community for change.”
After the ceremony, guests participated in naloxone training and learned more about the region’s addiction resources.
International Overdose Awareness Day is held on Aug. 31 every year. It is the world’s largest annual campaign to remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind. National Recovery Month and Addiction Awareness Month are both observed in September.
