Clearlake proclaims Aug. 31 International Overdose Awareness Day; SafeRx schedules community event

The Clearlake City Council on Aug. 17 read a proclamation recognizing Aug. 31, 2023, as International Overdose Awareness Day and heard from SafeRx Lake County representatives about an upcoming community event. The proclamation noted Lake County’s high overdose fatality numbers in 2022 and called for expanded access to naloxone (Narcan), syringe exchange, drug checking and medication-assisted treatment.

Sarah, an AmeriCorps VISTA member with SafeRx Lake County, said the group is coordinating with local agencies and encouraged community participation. “As the dialogue presented in the proclamation suggests, Clearlake is just one site of a nationwide overdose epidemic, but faces unique challenges in combating it,” she said, urging partnership between public agencies and nonprofits.

Kim Tangerman, deputy director of Lake County Public Health and a SafeRx participant, said the group will host a free event at Austin Park on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering free Narcan, naloxone training kits and access to treatment referrals. Tangerman said local first responders and public-health partners are working to expand naloxone availability and medication-assisted treatment.

Council members noted training to use naloxone can take as little as 90 seconds to five minutes and stressed the value of making reversal medication widely available. The proclamation and event information were presented as part of the council’s community-health update.