The Guilford County Division of Public Health and the City of Greensboro’s Community Safety Department will mark International Overdose Awareness Day with a HOPE event – which stands for “Harm Reduction, Overdose Awareness, Prevention and Education.”
It will take place on Thursday, Aug. 28, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Next Door Beer Bar and Bottle Shop at 505 N. Greene St. in Greensboro.
At the event, participants can receive naloxone training and learn about overdose prevention resources as well as about sexual health resources.
Food trucks will be on site and the event will include music and door prizes as well.
International Overdose Awareness Day has been observed annually across the world in August since 2001. The 2025 theme is “One big family, driven by hope.”
“International Overdose Awareness Day gives us the opportunity to remember lives lost, support grieving families and strengthen our commitment to preventing further tragedy in Guilford County,” said Amanda Clark, drug and injury prevention manager for the Guilford County Division of Public Health. “This year’s event brings our community together to learn, grieve and heal. We are offering no-cost naloxone, prevention tools and a supportive space to talk about the realities of substance use.”
Mary Houser, LEAD coordinator with the Greensboro Community Safety Department, also said this event can literally be lifesaving.
“The City’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion – LEAD – program gives Greensboro Police Department officers a way to divert people whose offenses stem from addiction into support services instead of the justice system,” Houser stated this week. “International Overdose Awareness Day reminds us why this option matters. Every connection we make has the potential to save a life.”
If you want more information on overdose awareness or the event you can contact Clark at GOPEC@guilfordcountync.gov.
