Overdose Awareness Day Events
Maine saw its highest number of overdose deaths in 2022, with more than 700 lives lost to substance overdose last year. International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. International Overdose Awareness Day is followed by National Recovery Month, a national observance held every September to promote and support the recovery community, those who work to support recovery, and new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices.
Join Healthy Acadia and community partners for these awareness-building events on Overdose Awareness Day, Thursday, August 31, 2023.
6 p.m.
University of Maine, Machias
Healthy Acadia, Down East Recovery Support Center, Washington County Community Action Team, and Maine Access Points will host a Candlelight vigil to honor those that we have lost to overdose.
The event will feature a poignant visual display representing the lives lost in Washington County in 2022. A memory board will be available for community members who wish to share photos and stories of loved ones lost to overdose. The US1 bridge spanning Bad Little Falls on the Machias River will be adorned with purple lights and a banner with information to raise awareness of the devastating impact of overdose.
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Knowlton Park, Ellsworth
Healthy Acadia’s INSPIRE Recovery Center will host an International Overdose Awareness Day event to remember and honor the lives lost to overdose, and to support the families and friends impacted.
The event will feature a poignant candlelight vigil, a display featuring 723 butterflies - one for each Maine life lost to overdose in 2022, notable speakers discussing the far-reaching effects of overdose, a solemn moment of silence, and an interactive memory board designed for attendees to share cherished images and tributes of those they've tragically lost.
In a dedicated effort to promote harm reduction, Healthy Acadia will also offer crucial resources, including Naloxone and Fentanyl Test Strips, at each event.