Stewart County proclaims Aug. 31 Overdose Awareness Day, urges residents to carry naloxone

An unidentified Stewart County official proclaimed Saturday, Aug. 31, Overdose Awareness Day in Stewart County and asked residents to remember those lost to overdose and to work to end the stigma of substance misuse.

The official said "the number of Tennesseans dying from overdose is still tragically high," while noting that "thanks to the persistence of countless individuals, the growth in overdose deaths has plateaued." The proclamation called attention to new and more complex substances in the drug supply, "including xylazine," and warned that "fentanyl continues to be a major driver of overdose deaths in Tennessee, still accounting for more than 70 percent of our state's overdose deaths."

The proclamation said Stewart County is working with the Stewart County Prevention Coalition to educate the community about overdose awareness and to "encourage citizens to carry naloxone." The speaker invited residents to "join the coalition on Saturday at 6PM at the Hudson House" for a candlelight vigil to honor loved ones who have died from overdose.

The text of the proclamation also affirmed that people affected by and at risk of overdose "are our sons, our daughters, our mothers, and our fathers, our brothers, our sisters, and our neighbors deserving of our love, compassion, and support," and it celebrated Tennesseans who have survived overdose and rebuilt their lives.

The proclamation was read in full and concluded with a brief thank-you. No formal vote or additional board action was recorded in the transcript; the declaration stands as a ceremonial proclamation and an invitation to the community event at the Hudson House.