Neighborhood to honor lives misplaced and promote prevention on International Overdose Awareness Day – Southern Nevada Health District

LAS VEGAS – The Southern Nevada Health Consortium will host the ninth Annual International Overdose Awareness Day occasion on Saturday, August 30, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the Foundation for Recovery, positioned at 4800 S. Alpine Place, Las Vegas, NV 89108. The occasion honors those that have died or suffered everlasting harm from overdose, reduces stigma surrounding drug-related deaths, and raises consciousness about overdose prevention and drug coverage.

Open to the general public, the occasion will function native distributors, overdose prevention coaching, naloxone distribution, meals, and stay leisure. A vigil will probably be held to recollect lives misplaced and have fun those that have survived an overdose. A speaker panel may also share private tales, together with views from a member of the family, a primary responder, and a survivor.

A “Soles for Souls” exhibit will show sneakers representing people who died from overdose up to now 12 months. Attendees are inspired to donate sneakers, which will probably be given to native charities.

Sponsors for this 12 months’s occasion are the Southern Nevada Health Consortium, Southern Nevada Health District, Comprehensive Treatment Centers, Southern Nevada Harm Reduction Alliance, the Foundation for Recovery and the PACT Coalition.

“International Overdose Awareness Day is an important opportunity for our community to come together—to honor those we’ve lost and to reaffirm our commitment to preventing future tragedies,” stated Dr. Cassius Lockett, District Health Officer for the Southern Nevada Health District. “Addressing overdose is a shared responsibility, and this event reflects the strength of our collective dedication to building a healthier Southern Nevada.”

Overdose statistics in Clark County

In 2024, Clark County reported 802 confirmed drug overdose deaths, representing a virtually 16% improve in comparison with 2023. Opioids, each prescription and illicit, had been concerned in 67.5% of those fatalities. Since 2018, the opioid-involved overdose mortality fee has elevated by 115%, reaching 22.3 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024. The highest burden was concentrated in ZIP code 89101 with a mortality fee of 120 deaths per 100,000 residents. Fentanyl stays the first driver of the native opioid epidemic, with fentanyl-related deaths growing 92.7% between 2020 and 2023.

Surveillance information point out that the deadly overdoses peaked through the summer time months (June-August), and had been lowest in November. Demographic distribution reveals that males accounted for 70.2% of overdose deaths, and the biggest proportion of circumstances occurred amongst non-Hispanic white people.

For extra data on substance use in Southern Nevada, go to the Health District’s Substance Use Dashboard.