San Diego commemorates International Overdose Awareness Day

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — Dozens of healthcare professionals and substance abuse care specialists gathered Thursday at Waterfront Park to raise awareness for International Overdose Awareness Day.

The commemorative day is observed every year on Aug. 31. This year, advocates say there are some encouraging signs that interventions are working: In San Diego County, the latest numbers indicate there were 97 fewer overdose deaths in 2023 than in 2022.

“I do think that we’re making progress in general and I say that because there’s much more awareness. There’s much more accepting that this is a true medical condition, for which it is — it’s a brain disease,” Dr. Joe Sepulveda, a psychiatrist specializing in addiction, told KUSI. “And there is effective treatment out there that you can receive to treat opioid use disorder.”

Watch Ed Lenderman’s report for KUSI in the player above.

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