AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/tag/opioids/)
State Rep. La Shawn Ford announced the news Aug. 31, which is International Overdose Awareness Day. The lead agency for the award will be Prevention Partnership Inc., a 35- year-old agency located in the Austin neighborhood.
Free packets of naxolone were distributed at an event held Monday at The Loretto Hospital to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The drug has saved many people from dying of a drug overdose.
Residents can help fight the epidemic by carrying naloxone, the opioid blocker that can stop an overdose. African Americans are dying at a higher rate than whites, experts said at the meeting, held late last month in Austin.
More than 750 people die in Chicago each year from opioid overdose. Join the conversation about what can be done about this public health epidemic. Dinner and childcare will be provided during the event, which will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 27 at Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St.
PCC Community Wellness Center hosted health providers and others earlier this month to discuss how the opioid crisis is affecting them, their employers and their communities.
West Side residents can take action to protect their friends, family and neighbors from this sweeping problem that’s more deadly than gun violence and motor accidents.