Fairgrounds hosts Overdose Awareness Day 2024

By Ryan Applegate

People’s Defender

Merchant’s Hall at the Adams County Fairgrounds hosted the second annual Overdose Awareness Day on Friday, August 30. The event, organized by the Adams County Health Department, featured over 20 vendors from Adams, Brown, and Scioto counties, all united by a shared goal of education, support and recovery for victims of overdose and those suffering from substance use disorders (SUDs).

The event offered free food provided by the Adams County Courts, guest speakers, a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, and live music by local musician Dakota Nehus.

International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) began in Australia in 2001 and is celebrated every year on August 31. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) official website, IOAD is the world’s largest campaign to end overdose, remember those lost to the crisis, acknowledge grief, and renew the commitment to end overdose and related harms.

In a statement on the DEA website, Administrator Anne Milgram said, “On this International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember the lives lost and families impacted at the hands of a drug poisoning or overdose death. These losses are the result of the ruthless criminal networks who flood our country with their dangerous and deadly poison. Today, and every day, we stand in support and with deep appreciation of our partners in public health and law enforcement who serve on the front lines every day working to prevent drug poisonings. We remain committed to our role in this fight to save lives by stopping fentanyl and other deadly drugs from impacting communities across America.”

The motivation for Overdose Awareness Day in Adams County was to create an event that provides resources for individuals in the community with SUDs, with the hope of ending the unnecessary harm and loss of life brought on by addiction.

“Adams County has a need, we still have that overdose experience. We have lost a lot of community members to overdose,” event organizer Schaye Cross explained. “Just having that connection for individuals in recovery, or individuals who are thinking about getting into recovery—this is an event for everyone to come together so they can see what is available.”

Another goal of the event is to combat the stigma surrounding substance use and the people affected by it.

“What I have found in working in substance use are amazing people who deserve so much in life and who can provide such a light to the world. They deserve that chance, they deserve that opportunity, and they deserve to have someone alongside them as they fight for themselves,” Cross said.

An important part of IOAD is the remembrance of lives lost to substance use and overdose. Cross organized a memory garden for this purpose, which noted nearly 100 names last year; she hopes to add more names following this year’s event.

The Adams County Health Department is taking measures to provide top-notch care and resources for individuals with SUDs. There are SUD providers, case managers, mental health providers, and a partnership with the University of Cincinnati to provide psychiatric care to adults and youth.

“We are trying to do whole care at the Health Department,” Cross said. “We are trying to help every aspect of substance use.”

Tara Plymesser, another member of the team that coordinated Overdose Awareness Day in the county, has a personal connection to the event. Plymesser has been sober for eight years and has experienced the lows associated with SUD.

“I was in the criminal justice system, and for me, coming out of all of that, knowing the needs of people going through active addiction, I wanted to make sure that we had those needs available,” Plymesser shared.

“The resources that were lacking when I was going through addiction—I wanted to make sure that we had those available here,” Plymesser added. “Just spread the awareness of overdose and addiction because it’s everywhere. It can be anyone, it can hit anyone.”

The availability of resources for active addicts, as well as education and awareness of those resources, are critical to helping both the community and the individuals affected by this problem.

Lexi Sullender, who also helped coordinate the event, aimed to make it as comfortable as possible for everyone.

“We wanted to make this feel like a safe place to come and get help,” Sullender said. “Overall, our main goal is harm reduction—getting people into recovery, letting them know there are people in the county who care about them.”

Sullender was motivated by the knowledge that she is helping people. “I love trying to make a difference in my community. It means a lot to me to come out and help people who are struggling.”

If you or someone you know is facing a mental health or addiction crisis, you can contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can call, text or chat with a trained specialist who is available 24/7 to offer free and confidential support.